Once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm hits Gulf Coast, with record-breaking snowfall in Florida
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The Gulf Coast is digging out from a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that struck from Texas to Florida, closing airports and crippling roadways.
Over 2,000 flights were canceled on Tuesday and more than 1,300 flights have been canceled on Wednesday.
Multiple fatalities have been reported due to car crashes and hypothermia.
In the Atlanta area, DeKalb County officials declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and are urging all residents to shelter in place due to the severe winter weather. Over 100 cars have been reported stranded on roadways, keeping crews from responding to emergencies, officials said.
Many areas saw more snow than they have in at least 130 years.
Florida saw its most snow on record, with a preliminary 8.8 inches of snow observed in Milton, north of Pensacola.
The southeast part of Houston saw over 4 inches, making it one of the top snowstorms to impact the area.
Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, saw all-time record highs with 7.5 inches and 7.6 inches respectively.
In Louisiana, Baton Rouge saw 7.6 inches, New Orleans saw 8 inches and Lafayette recorded 9 inches.
New Orleans demolished its most recent highest snow total, which was 2.7 inches in 1963.
Snow is still falling early Wednesday in Georgia, Florida and the coastal Carolinas.
About 5 inches have so far been reported in parts of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
The snow is expected to end this morning but rain will continue in Florida.
(LOS ANGELES) — Less than a week after a massive wildfire shut down California’s Interstate 5, a major freeway between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley, the traffic artery was closed again due to heavy snow, authorities said.
Both the southbound and northbound lanes of Interstate 5 remained closed Monday morning and the California Highway Patrol said there is no timeline on when it will be reopened.
A CHP spokesperson told ABC News heavy snow caused the closure of I-5 from Castiac, near where the Hughes Fire shut down the freeway on Wednesday. The stretch of I-5 is also known as “The Grapevine.”
The area, as well as other mountainous areas north of Los Angeles, was forecast to get six inches to a foot of snow.
The Hughes Fire, one of a series of major blazes that have devastated the Los Angeles metro region since Jan. 7, erupted on Wednesday near Castaic Lake reservoir, about 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The fire, fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, grew quickly to more than 10,000 acres, prompting the mandatory evacuation of about 30,000 residents and putting another 20,000 on an evacuation watch.
More than 4,000 firefighters responded to the blaze, attacking it from the ground and air and preventing it from damaging any homes, officials said.
The Hughes Fire is one of four active fires still burning across Southern California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Hughes fire was 95% contained on Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.
A weekend storm brought much-needed rain to Southern California. But the first significant rain in the area since June 1 was also accompanied by threats of a different natural disaster. Overnight, a flash flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service for Malibu, where homes and businesses were destroyed by the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes to devastate Los Angeles County this month.
Pacific Coast Highway west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles County was closed around 4:30 p.m. Sunday due to mudflows, officials said. Mudflows in the burn-scarred areas of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades also caused the shutdown of several main roads in the area, including the northbound lanes of Sunset Boulevard, officials said.
As of Monday morning, parts of Los Angeles County had received 1.2 inches of rain. Downtown Los Angeles had gotten nearly a half-inch of rain and Santa Monica received almost an inch. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County got 1.75 inches of rain and Ventura County, south of Los Angeles, had received 1.36 inches.
An additional half an inch of rain is possible for parts of Southern California through Tuesday.
The rain was a welcomed sight to firefighters still battling active blazes in the region, including the Hughes Fire.
The Palisades Fire, which started on Jan. 7 and exploded to over 23,000 acres, was 94% contained on Monday. The fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, including homes and businesses, and killed 11 people.
The Eaton Fire, which also broke out on Jan. 7 in Pasadena and Altadena, was 98% contained on Monday. The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed more than 9,400 structures, including homes and businesses, and was blamed for the deaths of 17 people.
The fourth active Southern California fire was the Border 2 Fire south of San Diego near the Mexico border. The blaze, which started Thursday afternoon, was 43% contained on Monday after burning more than 6,600 acres of wildland.
“Rainfall overnight and into the morning hours has led to a substantial decrease in fire activity,” Cal Fire said in an update Monday morning. “While not ending the possibility of fires in the long term, the saturation of grass and other light, flashy fuels will lessen the threat of the spread of the Border 2 Fire.”
School districts prep students and families for possible mass deportations. ABC News
(SOUTH TEXAS, Texas) — President Donald Trump has threatened mass deportations of immigrants, potentially expanding the “expedited removal” program to conduct raids in neighborhoods and workplaces. This program would allow for the quick deportation of individuals who entered the U.S. without proper documentation and have been here for less than two years.
Trump has pledged to tighten immigration laws and roll back Biden-era policies that he believes have encouraged a rise in undocumented immigration.
On Monday, Trump signed executive orders enhancing operations of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in sensitive areas, expanding expedited deportations for undocumented immigrants, and aiming to end birthright citizenship.
Educators and organizers are grappling with what this means for their communities, and schools are determining the best way to support students and families.
ABC News visited a school in South Texas to meet with students and faculty preparing for the potential impacts of President Trump’s immigration policies.
While in South Texas, a student named Maria, a high school junior, shared with ABC News that she came to America from Mexico on a special visa last fall. Born and raised in Mexico, the 15-year-old lives with her grandmother, who is her legal guardian, in South Texas.
“It’s an honor for me to study here,” Maria said. “And my parents, more than anything, they did it in search of something better for me and my future…to have more opportunities and be able to speak a second language.”
When Maria first arrived, she knew very little English and was placed in a special set of classes to help integrate her into the Texas public school system.
She expressed that she misses her family in Mexico but wants to become a Spanish teacher. She must stay in America to do that, but with Trump’s plan, her goals may be cut short.
“We found out through TikTok, later on Instagram or things like that,” Maria said. “And just like in anything else, there are people who find ways to make the news entertaining…even if it’s something bad. We try to focus on the positive to drown out the negative.”
In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that all children, regardless of immigration status, can access public education.
While students like Maria are here legally on unique accommodation, there is growing concern about the potential impact an immigration crackdown could have on educational institutions.
The boundary lines for Maria’s school district run along the U.S.-Mexico border. The debate over immigration is finding its way into the classroom, as administrators in Southern Texas believe many of their students come from mixed-status families — some in the household have documentation allowing them to legally reside in the U.S., while others do not.
“When you come to our school district, you will be asked the name, of course, and some type of identification of your child and what can we do to service your child? Our business will never be to ask ‘what is your status in this nation?'” Norma Garcia, director of multi-language at Harlingen Consolidated Independent Schools, said.
District leaders are enhancing mental health support for students and organizing informative sessions for families. These sessions will connect families with experts, such as immigration attorneys and local border patrol agents, to help address their questions and concerns.
However, not all school districts share the same outrage. In Oklahoma, the Department of Education Superintendent Ryan Walters supports the incoming administration’s push for more decisive immigration action.
He claims that the influx of non-English-speaking students has strained the education system. As a solution, he proposes a rule requiring schools to collect information about a student’s or their parent’s immigration status and then share that information with federal authorities.
“Right now, our schools are being required by the federal government to educate all those children of illegal immigrants and never ask them if they’re here legally, never ask them where they’re from,” Walters told ABC. “Never collect any of this information. And so what happens is, is we have situations where one district, we had over 100 students a week that came in in the middle of the school year that we believe are illegal immigrants.”
Oklahoma is suing the former Biden administration and federal agencies for millions of dollars to recover those alleged costs. So far, no other states have joined this newly filed lawsuit.
“We’ve got to do what’s best for the American people, the American taxpayer, and shut down the border, send illegal immigrants back home,” Walters said. “And the best way for us to do that right now is to work with the Trump administration, get them the information they need.”
(BATON ROUGE, LA.) — Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went into lockdown after a shooting took place on campus Sunday evening.
The incident, which took place in the Ulysses S. Jones Hall dormitory, left at least one person injured and taken to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate WBRZ. Their condition is unknown.
No identities related to the incident have been released.
The school posted a message on its website at 7:24 p.m. local time, stating: “ATTENTION: There has been a shooting incident in U.S. Jones Hall. The possible suspect is a Black male waring a black hoodie with rhinestones and dark pants. The campus is locked down for safety. Please remain in your dorm rooms/offices until an all-clear is given.”
Southern University and A&M College is a Historically Black College and University and, with five locations across Louisiana, it is the only HBCU system in the United States, according to its website.
An all-clear was issued at 9:15 p.m. local time, according to WRBZ. It remains unclear if the alleged suspect described in the school’s previous announcement was located or taken into custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
