Back in 2016 and 2017, I began researching Houston’s greatest snowstorm, which occurred on Valentine’s Day in 1895. The city received 20 inches. I was confounded by this because there is no other storm on record that comes even remotely close to this for Houston, and so I decided to dig in to learn more.
You can read that full account here.
After reading a bunch of newspaper descriptions of the event, finding a few accounts in archives, and getting some incredible pictures from archives in Houston and Galveston, it became my absolute favorite weather anomaly of all-time. I mean, think about 20 inches of snow in Houston and what that would do today. Now, with all that said, I figured that was a one and done type of event; something we truly would never see again. And here in Houston, that still holds very true. But elsewhere?
Lake Charles
Lake Charles, LA received anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow in the area on Tuesday, falling well short of the 22 inches received in 1895, but still coming in as the third snowiest storm on record there (behind February 12-13, 1960 as well).
Lake Charles also had their coldest two-day period since 1962. These types of storms seem to occur every couple generations on the Gulf Coast. While Houston did not set any major records and the Beaumont and Lake Charles areas saw one of their biggest storms on record, where things got wild was to the east.
Acadiana/Lafayette
Central Louisiana, or Acadiana (or the Atchafalaya) saw a truly historic storm. Having also had their coldest pair of days since 1962, they received anywhere from 6 to 13 inches of snow. The coldest recorded temperature was 2 degrees at Cade southeast of Lafayette on Wednesday morning the 22nd. Grand Coteau, just north of Lafayette measured 13.4 inches of snow. Lafayette itself managed 9 inches, a bit shy of 1895’s record of 14 inches.
“Sleds of every description were improvised for the occasion. Some of these were extremely ludicrous, as for instance, the case of Dr. G. A. Marin in a big rocking chair ploughing through the snow in happiest style.” –Lafayette Advertiser, February 16, 1895
“Everything took on a peaceful vibe as the snow transformed even mundane mail boxes into picturesque works of art.” – The Acadiana Advocate, January 21, 2025
Baton Rouge
Down I-10 in Baton Rouge, the capital saw 7.6 inches of snow, also a bit shy of 1895’s record of 12.5 inches.
The coldest back to back mornings in Baton Rouge since 1989 occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday thanks to the snow cover.
New Orleans
Some of the most enjoyable and spectacular social media posts I believe came out of New Orleans last week. The city recorded 8 inches of snow, just shy of the 10 inches the Big Easy saw in 1895. They also experienced their coldest two mornings since 1996.
Gulfport/Biloxi
Into Mississippi, Gulfport received 7 inches of snow. This tied with the New Year’s storm of 1963-64, which dropped similar amounts of snow east of New Orleans into Alabama but hit hardest north, away from the Gulf of Mexico.
Thanks to the snowpack, Gulfport also had their coldest morning since 1985 (and third coldest on record back to the late 1800s) on Wednesday.
Mobile
Crossing into Alabama, Mobile had a truly historic event, logging their largest snowstorm on record. The 1895 storm dropped a half-foot in Mobile, while the 2025 storm produced 7.5 inches. Like the Mississippi coast, Mobile had their third coldest morning on record and coldest since 1985 on Wednesday. Even Gulf Shores and Orange Beach saw 7 to 9 inches of snow.
Florida
For Florida, the storm will now be the benchmark on which future storms are measured. Prior to last week, Florida’s state record for snowfall had been 4 inches recorded in Milton, FL back in 1954. Officially, Pensacola managed 8.9 inches in this storm, with a few locations, such as Milton and Ferry Pass, just north of Pensacola achieving 10 inches.
To the east, Panama City saw 3 to 4 inches of snow, while Tallahassee saw just shy of 2 inches, their largest storm since February 1958’s nearly 3 inches of snow. Even Jacksonville got on the board with a tenth of an inch of snow, only the fifth time they have recorded measurable snow.
The meteorology and differences from 1895
So what happened here, and how did this storm differ from the great 1895 storm? The meteorology had some strong similarities but also key differences in both storms. In 1895, low pressure formed in the southwest Gulf of Mexico and tracked eastward across South Florida and off the East Coast.
The combination of strong high pressure (indicated by the deep red colors over Texas) and overrunning moisture from the Gulf likely led to a significant thump of snow before the storm consolidated well offshore, taking the heaviest snow with it into the Gulf and grazing the Gulf Coast.
The 2025 case was much different, even if it was somewhat similar. In this year’s case, you barely had a formal low-pressure system over the Gulf. So my hunch is that in the 2025 case, you had less consolidation of the storm offshore, meaning more moisture was available to plow into areas like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Texas had more time with things in 1895 so was able to cash in more then than now.
There are some other factors at play in 2025 vs. 1895. For one, there was less snowpack on the Plains this time around, so Texas was a bit slower to turn colder. The trajectory of the cold was very similar in 2025 versus 1895 but less snow meant more modification of the air mass this time. That probably also played a role.
Another reason this storm did what it did farther east? The warm Gulf of Mexico. Monday’s sea-surface temperature anomaly in the Gulf showed widespread warmer than normal temperatures over a broad portion of the western Gulf.
In fact, some of those SSTs were almost 4°C warmer than normal, which is ballistically warm. There’s a case to be argued that the warmer Gulf, which is due to a combination of factors, including climate change played a role in “juicing” this storm a bit more, especially as it moved east. In fact, I might be willing to argue that an identical storm occurring in 1895 (not the 1895 storm, but rather this exact storm unfolding exactly as it did, except 130 years earlier) may have actually produced less snow in Louisiana through Florida due to what was likely a much colder Gulf of Mexico in 1895. The caveat to that is that a colder air mass as would be likely in 1895 could have boosted snow to liquid rations even more and produced a similar snowfall with less available moisture. It’s a fascinating possibility to consider, but unfortunately there’s no real way to know for sure.
But what we do know is that storms like this are truly rare on the Gulf Coast, and many core memories were made for many kids (and even some adults) last week between Houston and Florida.
Love this! 😄
Brilliant, simply brilliant. Thank you so very much for the wonderful analysis. As an almost 80-year-old, I am saddened by the reality that community newspapers have all but disappeared. I recognize that social media has seemingly replaced most news outlets. That said, I don’t believe that social media can replace the “community” aspect of a local newspaper. The future will never know what it has lost.
I live in SW FL and appreciate what you do more than I can express. Great job and thank you!
Thank you for this fascinating article. I had been wondering why the 1895 storm was such a monumental outlier.
Great read. Thanks!
1895 must have been really something. About a week prior to the big Gulf Coast snowstorm, the second historic freeze of that winter hit Central Florida with temperatures falling deep into the teens pushed south on a strong wind. Citrus groves and other foliage were wiped out. That cold outbreak forced people and the citrus industry south, which led to development of Miami as the mother city in South Florida.
Easily my favorite tweet from the snowstorm lol
https://x.com/paintuplsu/status/1881737947407647087
Interesting! Thanks for sharing this.
Awesome, Matt! Great research!
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