Once-in-a-lifetime southern snow eclipses records that stood for decades

ATLANTA — Sun-soaked Florida and other parts of the South appear to have shattered snowfall records in what many are calling a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness sandy snowscapes on beaches, of all places.

So much of the white stuff piled up across the South that snowballs flew on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and children and parents who don't own sleds used inflatable alligators, laundry baskets and yoga mats to slide down snow-covered Mississippi River levees.

Here's a look at some of the heaviest snowfall totals around the South:

Milton, Florida

A whopping 9.8 inches (24.9 centimeters) of snow fell near the small town of Milton, Florida, which would smash the all-time Florida state record for snowfall from 1954, if confirmed.

''It's an incredible, incredible event,'' said Michael Mugrage, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mobile, Alabama, where many of the highest snowfall totals from the region were reported. ''It puts it in perspective how rare this is.''

The snow total near Milton is unofficial for now, and will be reviewed by the state's climate office.

Milton is just northeast of Pensacola, where 8.9 inches (22.6 centimeters) shattered the city's previous all-time snow record of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1895.

New Orleans

Ten inches (25 centimeters) fell in some places in the New Orleans area, smashing the city's record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) from 1963, the National Weather Service reported. There was also an unofficial report of 11.5 inches of snow in Saint Bernard Parish east of the city.

Houston

Up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell in the Houston area, a community that doesn't own any snowplows. There was also a preliminary report of 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow near La Porte, Texas, southeast of Houston.

Charleston, South Carolina

More than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell in the Charleston area, where snow closed the airport and the massive Ravenel Bridge. It closed since water freezes on the cables of the bridge, and then large chunks of ice can fall and smash vehicles below the cables, authorities said.

Mobile, Alabama

At Mobile Regional Airport, 6.2 inches (15.7 centimeters) was recorded, breaking the city's one-day snowfall record of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) from Jan. 24, 1881, the weather service said. There were also several unofficial reports of more than 9 inches (23 centimeters) of snow in Gulf Coast communities outside Mobile.

A preliminary snowfall total of 11 inches (28 centimeters) in the small town of Babbie in southern Alabama was among the highest reported nationwide, the weather service said.

It's cold, y'all!

The storm system that brought so much snow also sank thermometers into record-breaking territory across the Deep South. It was so cold Wednesday morning that it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it was in Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida, the weather service reported.

In Alabama, a low of 6 degrees (minus 14 Celsius) tied the third-coldest low temperature on record for the city of Mobile, which was set in 1899, the weather service said.

In Louisiana, all-time records for low temperature were set in the cities of New Iberia and Lafayette, forecasters said. Wednesday's low of 2 degrees (minus 17 Celsius) in New Iberia broke a record that stood since 1962. Lafayette's low of 4 degrees (minus 16 Celsius) broke a record that dates back to 1899.

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This story has been updated to reflect that the National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon updated the snowfall total in Pensacola, Florida to 8.9 inches.