Historic Gulf Coast snowstorm

The Sunshine State? Walton County in the Florida Panhandle was just one of many regions hit by an historic snowstorm on Tuesday, that had snow falling along the Gulf Coast beaches. Some parts of Florida have more snow on the ground Wednesday morning than we have here in Montreal. (Walton County Sheriff Photo)

Many parts of the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to the Florida Panhandle had more snow on Tuesday than any single storm that has affected Montreal this winter. The snow fell right down to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, including the barrier islands. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, with snowfall records shattered  in several communities.

In Texas, 4 inches (10cm) of snow fell in Houston, closing every major highway in the city. In New Orleans, 8 inches (20cm) was measured, with snow on Canal Street and in the French Quarter. That crushed the record of 2.7 inches (6cm) set on December 31, 1963. It was the most snow in over 100 years for many Louisiana locations. The entire state was covered with snow right down to Grand Island on the Gulf. The snow spread east and north into Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Mobile, Alabama measured 7.5 inches (18cm) surpassing the 1985 record of  6 inches (15cm). Records date back to 1881 at that location. The sunshine state set an all-time record, with 9.8 inches (24.5cm) falling at Milton in the Panhandle. This broke the record of 4 inches (10cm), set back in 1954 at the same location. Snow blanketed the beaches from Pensacola to Panama City.

Record breaking snowfall at Orange Beach, Alabama right on the Gulf of Mexico. (Orange Beach Police Department Photo)

On Wednesday, the snow is spreading northeast into Georgia and the Carolinas. The entire region is being affected by arctic high pressure that has moved south into the Ohio Valley, taking the coldest of the arctic air into the Untied States. Meanwhile low pressure developed in the Gulf of Mexico, and move northeast into central Florida and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. The low was responsible for all the snow and ice.

The Gulf Coast storm will be followed by dangerously cold air across the deep south, which will begin to warm by the weekend. For now travel remains very dangerous, with snow covered and icy roads in places that do not have the equipment to deal with it.

For comparison, the biggest one-day snowfall in Montreal so far this winter was 7.8cm (3 inches) on December 8. Montreal still has not officially recorded a -18C (0F) or colder temperature at Trudeau Airport in nearly 2 years. Wednesday mornings low was the coldest of the winter to date, -17.7C.

The Arctic airmass moderated before arriving in Southern Quebec, the coldest temperature I recorded at my home was -19C (-2F) on Monday evening. Cloud cover and light southwest winds have actually maintained milder air in our region.

Sherbrooke overnight into Wednesday morning dropped to -27C, while other parts of Quebec were as cold as -40C. Temperatures will begin to slowly warm over the next few days in Montreal. After sunshine on Wednesday, several weak weather systems will bring some light snow into the weekend. No major storms are on the horizon for southern Quebec at this time.