Lafayette, New Iberia hit lowest temperatures ever recorded this morning
(KLFY) -- This 24-hour period has been a crazy time to be alive in south Louisiana.
First, we receive the second highest snow accumulation on record in both Lafayette and New Iberia. Preliminary data shows 9 inches of snow accumulation in Lafayette and 8 inches in New Iberia. These totals would be second on the list behind the 1895 storm, which dumped 14 inches and 13.5 inches in Lafayette and New Iberia respectively. Unconfirmed reports of upwards of 10-12 inches of snow across parts of Acadia Parish, likely near and around the area where the thundersnow was recorded, which only happens during very high snow rates.
So, if all of this wasn't enough, we have reached record-breaking temperatures this morning. Before this morning, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Lafayette was six degrees, set back in 1899. The lowest temperature ever recorded in New Iberia was nine degrees, set back in 1962 and 1989. Currently, we have hit four degrees in Lafayette and three degrees in New Iberia. Both of these would set records as the lowest temperatures EVER recorded in about 140 years of records being kept. The Lafayette sensor has been jumping around, so the recording will have to be analyzed and made official by the National Weather Service. New Iberia has been consistently around three degrees and with the old record at nine degrees, it's pretty certain that record will fall. Truly a remarkable 24-hours across Acadiana.
Temperatures will rise once the sun comes out later this afternoon. Hopefully, we get a few degrees above freezing, but either way, roads will absorb the sunlight and begin to melt. Another very cold night tonight with lows in the teens. Any water left on the roads will re-freeze, once again making travel treacherous.
We warm further for tomorrow, with an accelerated warming trend by the weekend. This should melt any remaining snow across the area.