A National Weather Service office in Louisiana issued its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday amid snow and strong winds.

Snow totals were rivalling all-time records. Officials were urging residents to take precautions and stay off roads.

For example, Lake Charles, La., along the Gulf Coast, showed snowfall rates of over 1 inch per hour this morning and early afternoon and visibility down to a quarter of a mile with blowing snow. This is one of the reasons why blizzard warnings were posted briefly for that region earlier.

ATLANTA — A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

The Interstate 10 closure spanned nearly the entire state, ending west of the Mississippi state line east of New Orleans. Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) had deployed crews traveling in both directions to treat the interstate's surfaces in an effort to restore normal traffic flow.

The cold temperatures are coming from a not uncommon expansion in the Polar Vortex, which are counter-clockwise rotating air currents that typically hang over the Arctic.

Interstate 10 reopened to westbound traffic from I-49 in Lafayette to the Texas border, the Department of Transportation and Development announced mid-afternoon Wednesday. The update comes after a historic winter storm brought several inches of snow to the gulf coast and shut down most of I-10 between Texas and Mississippi.

Local interstates and elevated bridges will close early Tuesday morning as freezing temperatures and snow impact the New Orleans area. Interstate 10 will be closed at 4 a.m. in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, according to DOTD.

A public hearing was held in Lake Charles to get input on the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's 2026 fiscal year draft plans.

There’s not another city in the U.S. like New Orleans, reporter David Hudnall says. Here’s where he’ll be drinking in between covering the city’s preparations for the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl.

Representatives with CenterPoint Entergy say the natural gas smell on Monday was due in part to the release of an odorant to help with leak detection.

The New Orleans Pelicans (12-35), on Monday, February 10, 2025 at Paycom Center, play the Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8). The game tips at 8:00 PM ET on Gulf Coast Sports and FDSOK. Looking for NBA tickets?