PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 1020 PM CST THU DEC 11 2008 ...SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR DECEMBER 11TH 2008... HERE ARE REPORTED SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM TODAYS UNSEASONABLE SNOWFALL. IN MUCH OF THE AREA...THIS IS THE EARLIEST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OF THE WINTER SEASON. THESE REPORTS ARE GENERALLY FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES...LAW ENFORCEMENT...FIRE STATIONS AND COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS. WE THANK THESE PEOPLE FOR THEIR EFFORTS TODAY. ACCORDING TO MEDIA AND POWER COMPANY REPORTS...THERE WERE 83000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES AROUND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WITHOUT POWER AS OF 1130 AM DUE TO THE SNOW. NUMEROUS VEHICULAR ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED...SOME CAUSING EXTENDED CLOSURES AND DELAYS ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES...ESPECIALLY FROM THE BATON ROUGE AREA TO HAMMOND. MOST LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVED 2 INCHES OR LESS SNOW EXPERIENCED COMPLETE MELTING THIS AFTERNOON...WHILE AREAS WITH THE HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS REPORTED SUBSTANTIAL SNOW REMAINING ON THE GROUND AS OF THIS EVENING. AN UNUSUALLY STRONG AND COLD UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM FOR THE GULF COAST AREA MOVED RIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND EXTREME SOUTH MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING...AND THIS RESULTED IN COOLING THE SURFACE TEMPERATURES JUST ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE MODERATE AND HEAVY RAIN OVER TO MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW. THE HEAVIEST SNOW OCCURRED OVER THE FLORIDA PARISHES OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...FROM EAST OF BATON ROUGE TO THE PEARL RIVER...AND ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 12. CITYCOUNTY/PARISHAMOUNT AMITE TANGIPAHOA LA 8 INCHES CROSSROADS PEARL RIVER MS 6 INCHES HAMMOND TAHGIPAHOA LA 6 INCHES MOUNT HERMAN WASHINGTON LA 6 INCHES COVINGTON ST. TAMMANY LA 5-6 INCHES ZACHARY EAST BATON ROUGE LA 5.5 INCHES LIVINGSTON LIVINGSTON LA 5.5 INCHES BOGALUSA WASHINGTON LA 5 INCHES SUN ST. TAMMANY LA 5 INCHES FRANKLINTON WASHINGTON LA 5 INCHES GREENSBURG ST. HELENA LA 4 INCHES ENON WASHINGTON LA 4 INCHES NEW ROADS POINTE COUPEE LA 3 INCHES BATON ROUGE EAST BATON ROUGE LA 3 INCHES POPLARVILLE PEARL RIVER MS 3 INCHES SUMMIT PIKE MS 3 INCHES WOODVILLE WILKINSON MS 3 INCHES TYLERTOWN WALTHALL MS 3 INCHES MANDEVILLE ST. TAMMANY LA 2.5 INCHES PLAQUEMINE IBERVILLE LA 2.5 INCHES ABITA SPRINGS ST. TAMMANY LA 2 INCHES CLINTON EAST FELICIANA LA 2 INCHES CONVENT ST. JAMES LA 2 INCHES PORT ALLEN WEST BATON ROUGE LA 2 INCHES LIBERTY AMITE MS 2 INCHES MCCOMB PIKE MS 2 INCHES GONZALES ASCENSION LA 1.5 INCHES NAPOLEONVILLE ASSUMPTION LA 1.5 INCHES HAHNVILLE ST. CHARLES LA 1.5 INCHES NEW ORLEANS ORLEANS LA 1 INCH GRETNA JEFFERSON LA 1 INCH LAPLACE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST LA 1 INCH SLIDELL ST. TAMMANY LA 1 INCH MCNEIL PEARL RIVER MS 1 INCH CHALMETTE ST. BERNARD LA TRACE PICAYUNE PEARL RIVER MS TRACE ===== ECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA 0934 AM CDT THU DEC 11 2008 ...ALL TIME RECORD SNOWFALL SET FOR DECEMBER AT LAFAYETTE... A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 1.0 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT LAFAYETTE ON DECEMBER 11TH 2008. THIS SETS THE ALL TIME RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER AT LAFAYETTE. THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER RECORDED SNOWFALLS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. THIS WAS NOT THE EARLIEST THAT SNOWFALL HAS BEEN RECORDED IN LAFAYETTE AS 1.1 INCHES FELL ON NOVEMBER 30TH 1936. ===== RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA 830 AM CDT THU DEC 11 2008 ...RECORD EARLIEST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL SET AT LAKE CHARLES... ...ALL TIME RECORD SNOWFALL SET FOR DECEMBER AT LAKE CHARLES... A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 0.4 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED AT LAKE CHARLES. THIS SETS THE ALL TIME EARLIEST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL RECORD FOR LAKE CHARLES. THIS ALSO SETS THE ALL TIME RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER AT LAKE CHARLES. THE PREVIOUS RECORDS WERE BOTH SET ON DECEMBER 22 1989 WHEN 0.2 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED. NOTABLY...DECEMBER 11 2008 AND DECEMBER 22 1989 ARE THE ONLY TWO TIMES IN RECORDED HISTORY THAT MEASURABLE SNOWFALL HAS OCCURRED IN LAKE CHARLES DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. ===== PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 1000 AM CST FRI DEC 12 2008 ...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM DEC 11 SNOW EVENT... 3-4 E NEW HEBRON NW JEFF DAVIS CO 9 INCHES BOGUE CHITTO LINCOLN COUNTY 8 INCHES NEW HEBRON LAWRENCE CO 8 INCHES MARTINVILLE SIMPSON COUNTY 7 INCHES MAGEE SIMPSON COUNTY 5 INCHES HILLSBORO SCOTT COUNTY 5 INCHES COLUMBIA MARION COUNTY 5 INCHES KOKOMO MARION COUNTY 5 INCHES JAYESS LAWRENCE COUNTY 5 INCHES BROOKHAVEN LINCOLN COUNTY 5 INCHES ROOSEVELT ST PARK SCOTT COUNTY 5 INCHES FLORENCE RANKIN COUNTY 5 INCHES D LO SIMPSON COUNTY 4.75 INCHES COLLINS COVINGTON COUNTY 4.5 INCHES BRAXTON SIMPSON COUNTY 4 INCHES TOPEKA LAWRENCE COUNTY 4 INCHES CRYSTAL SPRINGS COPIAH COUNTY 4 INCHES MIZE SMITH COUNTY 4 INCHES WEST HATTIESBURG LAMAR COUNTY 4 INCHES PRENTISS JEFF DAVIS CO 4 INCHES OMA LAWRENCE COUNTY 4 INCHES JOHNS RANKIN COUNTY 3.5 INCHES 3S OF MADDEN LEAKE COUNTY 3 INCHES PUCKETT RANKIN COUNTY 3 INCHES 2N WHITE OAK SMITH COUNTY 3 INCHES 5E MCCALL CREEK LINCOLN COUNTY 3 INCHES HAZLEHURST COPIAH COUNTY 3 INCHES BRANDON RANKIN COUNTY 2.5 INCHES BAY SPRINGS JASPER COUNTY 2.5 INCHES MCCALL CREEK FRANKLIN COUNTY 2 INCHES PURVIS LAMAR COUNTY 2 INCHES SEBASTAPOL SCOTT COUNTY 1 INCH ROSE HILL JASPER COUNTY 1 INCH ELLISVILLE JONES COUNTY 1 INCH ROXIE FRANKLIN COUNTY 1 INCH NWS JACKSON RANKIN COUNTY 0.9 INCHES HATTIESBURG FORREST COUNTY 0.8 INCHES THESE REPORTS ARE BASED ON REPORTS FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...LAW ENFORCEMENT...POST OFFICES...NWS EMPLOYEES...COCORAHS AND COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS...BROADCAST MEDIA...AND THE PUBLIC. =====