The US Gulf Coast has been hit by unusually cold temperatures in recent days after a snowstorm moved into parts of the southern United States.
A state of emergency was declared in Florida, and in parts of southern Louisiana authorities issued a blizzard warning for the first time ever.
The same weather warning was issued for parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. In South Carolina and Virginia, among others, authorities warned of extreme cold.
At least nine people are believed to have died as a result of the cold. It is about both cold-related deaths and traffic accidents as a result of the weather, reports CNN.
Snow and cold records
In New Orleans, 20 centimeters of snow has been recorded, which broke a previous record from 1963. In Louisiana, a temperature of -16 degrees has been recorded, which is also a cold record, The Guardian reports.
Meteorologists in the US have pointed out that the polar vortex – an area of cold air that normally circulates over the North Pole – may have contributed in part to the cold weather. P
– This cold air can sometimes slip further south, which is what has happened in North America, says SVT’s meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.
In the video above: Hear SVT’s meteorologist talk about the unusual winter weather and see pictures from snow-covered palm trees along the south coast of the USA.