Heavy Snow — Eastern Ascension Parish, Louisiana

2025-01-21 · Eastern Ascension Parish, Louisiana

Event narrative

Several inches of snow fell across the parish beginning in the early morning hours and tapering off mid afternoon. The highest reported amount was 7 inches in Sorrento.

Wider weather episode

A historically significant snowfall event impacted southeast Louisiana beginning in the early morning hours of January 21st. In contrast to most regional snow events over the past century, which typically affect only limited portions of the area and result in accumulations of just a few inches, this event was exceptional in both spatial extent and total snowfall depth. All parishes are estimated to have received a minimum of 6 inches of snow, with numerous locations recording totals exceeding 10 inches. Based on available records, this stands as the most substantial snowfall since 1895. Given the limited meteorological data and documentation from the 19th century, it is plausible that snowfall totals during the 2025 event rivaled or even exceeded those of 1895.

The resulting impacts were prolonged and widespread. Schools were closed for almost the entire week. Many roadways and most elevated surfaces remained impassable for days, with residual snow still present along roadsides well after the event concluded. The region's lack of traditional snow removal equipment such as plows led local agencies to adapt by employing road graders and compact equipment like skid-steer loaders (bobcats) for snow clearance.

The winter storm was further compounded by bitter Arctic air, with overnight lows falling into the single digits across portions of the region. The combination of anomalously high snow accumulations, sustained impacts to transportation from icy roadways, and extreme cold underscores the rarity of this event. It is reasonable to classify this as a generational-scale winter storm, one that may not be experienced more than once in a lifetime in this part of the country.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1243126. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.