Winter Weather — Upper St. Martin, Louisiana

2011-02-03 to 2011-02-04 · Upper St. Martin, Louisiana

Wider weather episode

A strengthening upper level low over western Texas began to push east-northeast across southwest Louisiana from the morning of February 3 into February 4. At the surface, temperatures were generally above freezing, but dewpoints were well below freezing. This allowed for a mix of freezing rain and sleet to develop across south central Louisiana during the early morning hours on February 3. A mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow then spread across the remainder during the late morning hours of February 3rd, with a changeover to all freezing rain by the afternoon. Freezing rain then continued into the morning of February 4th before ending.

Most of central Louisiana along and north of U.S. Highway 190 received over one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation, with some areas seeing up to one half inch of ice. This resulted in widespread power outages to tens of thousands of customers, especially across Rapides, Evangeline, and St. Landry Parishes. Scattered trees, tree limbs, and power lines were snapped due to the weight of the ice. Dozens of car accidents were reported, with major roadways such as Interstate 49 in Alexandria closed due to ice accumulation.

Further to the south, areas of southern Louisiana received from around one tenth to nearly one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation. Scattered power outages occurred, with the most across Acadia Parish. Dozens of car accidents were reported around Lake Charles, Lafayette, and Franklin, with several major roadways such as Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 being closed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 285677. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.