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Historic snowfall in the Southeast threatens to shut down multiple cities for days

It doesn't look like a lot of snow, but records that have stood for decades are about to be broken.

Adam Rosenberg

on January 3, 2018

Historic snowfall in the Southeast threatens to shut down multiple cities for days

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: A man is bundled up as he walks past a steam grate on January 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. A winter storm is traveling up the east coast overnight with significant accumulations of snow possible. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Credit: mark wilson / Getty Images

Parts of the Southeastern United States woke up to a most unusual sight on Wednesday morning: Snow and ice.

The icy onslaught came from the incipient stages of a rapidly intensifying storm that threatens to set off a "meteorological bomb" as it creeps north through Wednesday night, but it's already making history in the South. Regions of the U.S. that aren't accustomed to seeing snowy weather are bracing for record-setting accumulation.

In Tallahassee, a Florida city that hasn't seen any snow in decades, a measurable (if small) amount was visible on Wednesday morning. The 0.1 inches of accumulation might seem like nothing to a northerner, but it was more than enough in Tallahassee to prompt a warning from local police.

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The nearby Gulf Coast of Louisiana has also gotten a rare taste of snow and freezing rain, thanks to the unusual Arctic air mass in place ahead of the storm.

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The National Weather Service has winter storm warnings in place for much of the Southeastern U.S. on Wednesday, including parts of Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi, and even the eastern edge of Texas. In some places, such as Savannah, Ga., snowfall amounts threaten to break records that have been in place for more than a century.

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The worst of this storm is still to come as it moves north along the East Coast, bringing the winter storm to the typically-icier regions of the northeastern U.S. and Canada. But the storm's historic impact will be well-established by then.

The storm's unusually heavy impact on southern states is the product of a powerful and long-lasting Arctic blast that brought cold air much further south than is normal.

We've already seen much heavier snowfall in the U.S. this winter, as recently as last weekend's lake-band effect-prompted inundation of Erie, Penn., but this storm's relatively light accumulation in the Southeast is no less history-making. As usual, social media users stepped up to mark the occasion.

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.