If you asked anyone in New Orleans a few years ago if they’d ever need a snow shovel, they would’ve laughed you right off the porch. In Louisiana, "winter" usually just means swapping your iced coffee for a hot one and maybe putting on a light jacket for two weeks. But things took a wild turn recently. People are still talking about the 2025 Gulf Coast Blizzard, an event so weird it basically broke the local internet and most of the state's infrastructure.
Honestly, when people ask how much snow did Louisiana get, the answer depends entirely on whether you're talking about a normal Tuesday or that historic mess in January 2025. On average, the state gets about 0.2 inches a year. That’s basically nothing—just a few flakes that melt before they hit the pavement. Florida and Hawaii are the only states that see less. But in January 2025, parts of the Bayou State looked like the set of a Christmas movie, and not the fake Hallmark kind with the soap suds.
The 2025 Blizzard: When the Bayou Froze Over
The January 21–22, 2025, storm was a complete freak of nature. For the first time in actual history, the National Weather Service in Lake Charles had to issue a Blizzard Warning. Imagine that: a blizzard warning for a place where people usually measure "winter" by how many gumbo pots are simmering.
The totals were staggering for the Deep South. Grand Coteau ended up being the big winner (or loser, depending on how much you hate the cold), clocking in at 13.4 inches.
Here’s a look at how the numbers shook out across the state during that 2025 event:
- Chalmette: 11.5 inches
- New Orleans (MSY): 8.0 inches (shattering the old record of 2.7 inches from 1963)
- Lafayette: 9.5 inches
- Baton Rouge: 7.6 inches
- Lake Charles: 4.8 to 5.5 inches
It’s hard to overstate how crazy these numbers are. In New Orleans, the 8 inches they got in one day was more than the total of every snow event combined since 1948. People were literally skiing down overpasses.
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Why was it so much?
Meteorologists pointed to an "unusually high snow-to-liquid ratio." Usually, if it snows in the South, it’s that heavy, wet slush that turns to ice immediately. This was different. It was that dry, powdery "mountain snow" that piles up fast. The ratio was somewhere between 10:1 and 15:1. Because the air was so cold—Lafayette dropped to a bone-chilling 8°F—the snow didn't just melt. It stayed.
Historically Speaking: The Big One in 1895
While the 2025 storm was a modern nightmare, it still didn't quite touch the "Great Blizzard of 1895." If you want to know the absolute maximum for how much snow did Louisiana get in the record books, you have to go back over 130 years.
Back then, the state was absolutely buried.
- Rayne, LA reported a snow depth of 24 inches.
- Lake Charles allegedly saw 22 inches.
- Terrebonne Parish and Vermilion Parish both recorded 16 inches.
It’s almost impossible to imagine 2 feet of snow in Acadiana. Most homes today aren't even built to handle the weight of that much snow on the roof. In 1895, it was a legitimate catastrophe.
Other Notable Dustings
Before the 2025 madness, there were a few other times Louisiana got a taste of the white stuff:
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- December 2017: A surprise storm dropped about 2-3 inches across Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It was pretty, it made for great Instagram photos, and it disappeared in 24 hours.
- February 2021: This was more of an ice event. While the snow totals were low (about 1-2 inches in the north), the "ice apocalypse" knocked out power for thousands and froze pipes from Shreveport to the coast.
- February 1960: Colfax recorded 13 inches in a single 24-hour period, which held the "modern" record for a long time.
Why Louisiana Isn't Built for This
You might wonder why 8 inches of snow causes a total state of emergency in Louisiana when a foot of snow in Chicago is just a regular Monday.
It’s simple: equipment and experience.
Louisiana doesn't own a fleet of snowplows. Why would they? Spending millions on plows that sit in a garage for 10 years doesn't make sense. When it snows, the plan is basically "wait for it to melt." But when you get 13 inches in Grand Coteau, it doesn't melt for days.
The bridges are the real killers. Louisiana is covered in them. Since they’re elevated, they freeze way faster than the roads. During the 2025 storm, I-10 was a parking lot of abandoned cars because people simply couldn't get traction on the inclines.
Looking Ahead: Is This the New Normal?
Climate scientists are still arguing over whether these "polar vortex" dips are going to happen more often. While the overall trend is a warming planet, the jet stream seems to be getting "wavy." That waviness allows freezing Arctic air to slide all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
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If you live in Louisiana, you probably don't need to buy a snowblower just yet. These are still 1-in-50-year events. But, as we saw in 2025, "never" isn't a word you should use when talking about Louisiana weather.
Actionable Tips for the Next Big Freeze
If you're caught in a rare Louisiana snowstorm, don't do what everyone else does and panic-buy all the bread and milk.
- Drip your faucets: This isn't a myth. Moving water is harder to freeze.
- Wrap your pipes: Use pool noodles or actual foam insulation if you can find it.
- Stay off the overpasses: Seriously. Just stay home. If it’s 20°F and snowing, those bridges are literal skating rinks.
- Check your "attic" pipes: Many Louisiana homes have plumbing in uninsulated attics. These are the first to burst.
The next time someone asks how much snow did Louisiana get, tell them about the 13 inches in 2025 or the two feet in 1895. It’s a rare sight, but when it happens, the Bayou State turns into a whole different world.
To stay prepared for the next winter anomaly, you should download a reliable weather app like the NWS Mobile site or RadarScope to track temperature drops in real-time. If you haven't already, take ten minutes today to locate your main water shut-off valve; knowing where that is can save you thousands in flooring repairs when the "impossible" snow eventually turns back into water.