ACADIANA, La. — Residents across Acadiana woke up Tuesday morning to an unusual sight: a rare and historic blanket of snow covering the region. From Lafayette to Vermilion Parish, people of all ages embraced the frosty surprise, with snowfall totals ranging from 3 to 9 inches.
For many, it was their first time experiencing snow.
“I’ve never seen snow,” said 8-year-old Cohen Broussard, who spent the day making snow angels and throwing snowballs.
Others shared similar excitement about the rare weather event. Corey Iglus Jr, a Lafayette resident, took advantage of the opportunity to build his first snowman.
“This is just a little snowman,” Iglus said, smiling. “This is my first time actually being able to build a snowman in Louisiana.”
In Abbeville, Bridget Levy marveled at the sight after waking up early to enjoy the snowy morning.
“I woke up around 7:30 a.m. and I was amazed,” Levy said. “Oh, me and my little grandbaby, we were out here, and I said, ‘Well, if I don’t see it again, we’ll at least have some memories.’”
Levy even built her own snowman, improvising with a hat she found around the house.
“Well, this is my snowman,” she said. “I was looking for a hat, but this was the only one I could find.”
Record Snowfall Across the Region
Lafayette saw snowfall totals of 3 to 4 inches, while cities like Abbeville, Kaplan, and Gueydan in Vermilion Parish reported record-breaking accumulations of 7 to 9 inches. Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White said the snowfall is unlike anything she has ever witnessed.
“I’ve never in my lifetime seen that much snow on the ground here in South Louisiana,” White said.
Despite the excitement, safety remained a top priority. Vermilion Parish officials encouraged residents to stay off the roads, and Public Information Officer Ashley Adams expressed gratitude for the community’s cooperation.
“Largely, our residents have adhered to the warnings to stay off the road, which is great,” Adams said. “We have deputies out everywhere to ensure everyone remains safe.”
For Mayor White, the focus extended to protecting essential infrastructure.
“From a community standpoint, our biggest threats are, of course, the water system,” White explained. “Every water supply is in jeopardy of a breach because demand goes up. We’ve had our operator working at the plant around the clock since Saturday to keep the system as full as possible.”
A Day to Remember
As the snow began to melt later in the day, residents made the most of the fleeting moment with snowball fights and more snowman-building. For many in Acadiana, this rare event will remain a cherished memory for years to come.
WARMING CENTER
407 B K Stevens Dr,
Abbeville, LA, 70510
(337) 898-0218
