Weather shaking up and disrupting daily life is nothing new for New Orleans, which has battled hurricanes, heat waves and the occasional ice storm.
But what about the eyes? Not much. As of Tuesday morning, the city had not seen any measurable snow in 15 years.
“I like to call it the poet’s eye,” says writer Kevin Bennett, who pulls up a folding chair outside the French Quarter to smoke a cigarette amid swirling clouds of white. “I really like it.”
But for vulnerable people, the bitter cold was truly dangerous. “It’s horrible in its own beautiful way,” Chad Rigsby, 52, said after taking off the blanket he had slept on Monday night.
Major highways and bridges were closed Tuesday. Many roads became impassable. Classes were canceled at local schools, and many businesses were unable to open as the snow brought New Orleans to a virtual standstill. Authorities warned residents to take shelter as snowfall was expected to continue until Tuesday evening.
Gov. Jeff Landry said the same plea went out across the state as forecasters predicted record-breaking snow levels. “This creates a very dangerous situation not only for travel, but for people, pipes, pets and plants,” Landry, a Republican, said at a news conference Monday.
Jay Grymes, a longtime Baton Rouge television meteorologist who became state climatologist last year, said Baton Rouge hasn’t experienced winter weather like this since the 1960s.
More than 4 inches of snow was expected to fall across the state from the Texas border to the Mississippi border. Mr Grymes warned residents that they should expect to stay at home until at least Wednesday, possibly until Thursday.
Some of the rhythms of responding to a hurricane were evident during the snowstorm, like cooking pots of gumbo and pans of fried chicken and using perishable foods in the refrigerator and freezer.
There were also fears about people exposed to the elements, especially the homeless.
Joycelyn Scott, an outreach worker with Unity of Greater New Orleans, a group of organizations supporting the homeless, drove a van around the city, picking up some people eager for shelter and convincing others they needed to find a safe place to stay. On Monday, she pleaded with a group of people sleeping on the steps of the main building of the New Orleans Public Library.
“We’re not used to this kind of weather, this much snow,” Scott said.
Most nights there would be 15 to 20 people staying out. By 9pm on Monday, she and her team were down to eight people. Some people agreed to sleep in and come home on a Sunday night when temperatures dropped to 29 degrees.
But the experience gave Kelvin Easley, 54, confidence that he could handle the situation on his own. “It was very cold. Very much,” he said. “But I’ll be okay.”
“Do you need a hat?” Mr. Scott asked, “Some socks?”
“Here’s your hat?” a man asked, sticking his head out of a pile of tarp-covered blankets.
“That’s all I need,” he said. “Now let it snow.”
Katie Rekdal Reported from New Orleans; Rick Rojas From Atlanta.
