Snow Frosts New Orleans

For the first time since Christmas 2004, snow fell today in New Orleans, shuttering schools and causing accidents on the region’s roads, the Times-Picayune reports. The snowfall has mostly tapered off or turned to freezing rain, leaving some damage behind. About 7,000 homes lost power statewide, and numerous airline flights were delayed or canceled.

Despite the inconveniences, residents delighted in the rare treat, building snowmen and trying to catch snowflakes. "I can't remember the last time I've seen something like this," said a shorts-clad law student who snapped photos of the winter wonderland.
(More New Orleans stories.)