Washington [US], January 23: A winter storm swept across the southern United States on January 21, bringing heavy snow, hail and ice.
This is an extremely rare weather phenomenon for the region, which is used to a warm climate, according to The Washington Post . For the first time, the US National Weather Service (NWS) had to issue a blizzard warning for many areas, especially in southern Louisiana and eastern Texas, where heavy snowfall and strong winds made visibility especially limited.
New Orleans, Louisiana, recorded about 18 cm of snow on January 21, breaking the 1948 record for snowfall in a single day. In Texas, the storm, accompanied by Arctic winds, also caused widespread disruption, especially in the southern and central regions of the state. Houston, Texas, recorded snowfall ranging from 7 to 15 cm. Schools, government offices, as well as many stores and restaurants were closed across the region.
In addition to Texas, the governors of Gulf Coast states including Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi have declared states of emergency to deal with the "once-in-a-lifetime" storm. Scientists have linked the weather event to human-caused global warming emissions.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
