The latest closure means that nearly three-quarters of Louisiana’s portion of the coast-to-coast highway is shut. A rare winter storm brought record snowfall to the state on Tuesday.
Roughly 40 million people from Texas to the Carolinas are under winter weather alerts as a rare winter storm amid bone-chilling temperatures brings potentially historic snowfall to cities unused to harsh,
The LDH reported one winter weather-related death in the state this year—a 65-year-old man in Rapides Parish who died due to hypothermia—and advised people to stay inside during the extreme cold and to seek shelter if unhoused.
Snow totals in Louisiana have broken records. Parts of Florida, Texas and Georgia have also accumulated several inches of snow.
Snow flurries are continuing to rain down in Louisiana as inches of snow pile up on the ground across the state, already exceeding some previous predictions for the maximum amounts
By noon, the National Weather Service had reported about 4 inches of snow in New Orleans. The storm prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border, and snow plows were at the ready in the Florida Panhandle, according to the Associated Press.
It happened around 10:45 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, in St. John the Baptist Parish and the girl’s mother pulled to the side of the road before passing out, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The parish is about a 30-mile drive northwest from New Orleans.
On Tuesday afternoon, Louisiana State Police reported a state trooper was rear-ended by an alleged impaired driver, while stopped at a red light. The driver, who police say shouldn't have been on the road in the first place, was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The trooper involved in the accident was unharmed.
The rare winter storm that is hitting the southern portion of the United States became historic Tuesday morning when the Lake Charles National Weather Service office issued its first-ever blizzard warning.
The new law, which took effect Jan. 1, could undergo revisions when lawmakers reconvene. At issue are provisions concerning menu and labeling requirements.
Officials urged residents to stay off the road Wednesday, when dangerous conditions like black ice could occur.