Will there be another snowstorm in southern Louisiana? Experts weigh – The Reveille, the LSU student newspaper

“It’s weird to watch something you know you’ll never see again,” says coastal and environmental professor Paul Miller. “I will be dead before that happens again and the last time something that is remotely similar to it happened in Louisiana, all these people are already dead.”
The residents of Baton Rouge woke up to an amazing view on Tuesday, January 21st: A record 7.6 inches of snow covered the city overnight. This rare winter event destroyed historical records and left meteorologists to be amazed at the almost impossible conditions that had to be aligned in order to appear such a phenomenon.
The snow in Baton Rouge is an extremely rare event that has been registered only 23 times since 1893. It usually leads to a light snow dust or a short -term event that lasts for several hours. The fact that the most recent snowfall, accumulated to such an extent, has made it even more unusual.
“You have about a 17% chance every year,” said WBRZ Josh Everyus chief meteorologist. “It was a record event for our area. It took 120 years to make it happen. “
What made this storm so unique was the perfect alignment of cold air and a storm system in the Persian Gulf. When the Arctic air presses this away south, it usually dries the atmosphere, preventing snow. In this case, however, the storm tracked in the Central Mexican Bay, providing exactly the required amount of moisture without introducing more warm air, which would turn the snow into rain.
This alignment is what Miller cited as “Goldilocks Zone”, the perfect combination of cold air and storm. If the system was further north, it would have caused rain. If it were further south, the region would remain dry. The equalization of these factors has made this snowfall once in a generation event.
“You know you say that if you have a bunch of monkeys in a typewriter room, they will eventually write Shakespeare,” Miller said. “For me, this event was that. If you ever happen to be in the room when the monkey writes Shakespeare, it will be like: “Oh my God. We have witnessed something that is aligning such perfect circumstances that can be repeated again, but not while I am alive. So you have to sit down and be like, “Aunt, I was there when it happened.”
Prior to this storm, Baton Rouge had only recorded more than 3.5 inches of snow five times in the last 130 years. This event also coincided with the second lowest temperature ever registered in the city. The statistical rarity of such a snowstorm makes it unlikely that such an event will happen again soon.
Social media buzzed with excitement as many residents were surprised at the sight of covered roofs and streets. Unlike other extreme meteorological events that Louisiana usually experiences, such as hurricanes, this snowfall brings joy, not destruction.
“Since when did you have an extremely meteorological event in Louisiana, which just makes everyone happy?” Miller asked.
Despite speculation on social media, everyone and Miller say that forecasts show that another snowfall event is unlikely in the near future. February is expected to tend to average, with some temperatures reaching over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this event was historical, it does not signal a change in Louisiana’s winter climatic models and it is too early to say whether it is a sign of the impact of climate change on Louisiana.
“It takes years to appear models to try to say what role this event may have played in one way or another,” said anyone when asked if this event was an indication of climate change. “Somehow you have to let these things be played and then look back in time. Say this is something we see that happens more often over the next 10 or 20 years, we may be able to start saying, yes, this 2025 event was an early indication of displacement of models, but it is It is difficult to judge it immediately after the fact. “
The snowfall of January 21, 2025 will remain a memorable event for those who witnessed this, marking a rare moment when Baton Rouge became a winter side of miracles if in just one day.