The rare winter storm that is hitting the southern portion of the United States became historic Tuesday morning when the Lake Charles National Weather Service office issued its first-ever blizzard warning.

All data from the National Weather Service is considered preliminary until it is reviewed further, and that was the case with the previous measurement of 4.8 inches.

Wow! What an event this was with 4.8 inches of snow officially recorded at the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles. This ranks now as the 3rd highest snow total in history! The precipitation will come to an end late Tuesday,

Though the snow is quickly melting across Southwest Louisiana, chilly temperatures will persist for another couple of nights. National Weather Service Lake Charles Meteorologist Donald Jones said temperatures will be in the mid-20s overnight into Friday morning followed by a lighter freeze Friday night into Saturday morning.

By Thursday, highs should warm a little more. Another weaker cold front will arrive Thursday night, so low temperatures still should fall below freezing, especially where there is still more snow on the ground. By Friday, temperatures may return to the 50’s for highs.

Areas of Southwest Louisiana broke all-time record lows overnight Tuesday that dated back to the late 1800s. “It was quite the historic event for us,” said National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Meteorologist Doug Cramer.

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

New Iberia and Lafayette saw the coldest temperatures on record Wednesday morning. Lake Charles saw the coldest temperatures ever recorded in January.

A "Freeze Warning" is in effect across southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, as well as in small parts of Arizona, California and Florida, with temperatures falling as low as 27, and wind chills expected to feel as cold as low as 13 in some areas.

Joshua Wilson walks his dogs Caymus and Moose Tuesday, January 21, 2025, on Mall Street in Lafayette, La. For the first time ever, Lake Charles and much of Acadiana are under a blizzard warning as snow blankets the area Tuesday morning.

In the last of a series of calls held by the office to help local officials make decisions on closures and emergency operations, Cramer pointed to some data showing “quite the historic event” in terms of weather.

Though NWS forecasters are still collecting official snowfall counts, these reports give a good look at just how much snow Louisiana saw.