Dispatches from a Snow-Covered New Orleans

A rare winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday, dumping a reported ten inches of powder on New Orleans. For context: The last time the city saw any snow accumulation was in 2009 (a whopping 0.1 inches), and its previous record—at least since modern recordkeeping became available—was set in 1963 at 2.7 inches. 

Bywater resident and G&G contributor Jenny Adams took a break from photographing yesterday’s snowy cityscapes to savor the moment in words: “There’s a snow-globe vignette through every window as the wind whips upward, casting thousands of flakes over our swimming pools, banana trees, and palm plants. We are a famously tropical town—a bastion of humidity and Haitian culture—but our wrought iron is coated. Our front porches are ice slicks. It’s coming in heavy from a dove-gray sky. Absolutely historic.” 

See photos of the epic snow day below.

The rare sight of Bourbon Street in a blizzard.

 The famous façade of Commander’s Palace, with a little more white than blue.

A snowy view of Chartres Street.

Cafe Du Monde gets a dusting of more than just powdered sugar.

Mardi Gras decor pops against a wintry scene.

Flurries swirl around a live oak in City Park.

A dog and its owners enjoy the snow on Desire Street.

Tropical fronds bend in the snow.

Chef Chris Montero of Napoleon House sprinkles Kosher salt on his porch. “Salt is salt, and there is no snow-clearing salt to be found in the city,” he says. “That’s what a chef would do!”

Snow fills a plant-filled alleyway on Bourbon Street.

A French Quarter pup isn’t so sure what to make of this frosty scene.

A little snow didn’t stop this trombone player in Jackson Square.