In early December, some Louisiana restaurants started serving up the boiled Gulf Coast delicacy, signaling the start of what could be a regular crawfish season. And seafood industry experts said a deep freeze would be the only thing that could stop that from happening.
The new law, which took effect Jan. 1, could undergo revisions when lawmakers reconvene. At issue are provisions concerning menu and labeling requirements.
A "Freeze Warning" is in effect across southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, as well as in small parts of Arizona, California and Florida, with temperatures falling as low as 27, and wind chills expected to feel as cold as low as 13 in some areas.
The LDH reported one winter weather-related death in the state this year—a 65-year-old man in Rapides Parish who died due to hypothermia—and advised people to stay inside during the extreme cold and to seek shelter if unhoused.
As blizzard conditions move through south Louisiana and bitterly cold temperatures are expected at night this week, major roadways could stay closed into Thursday.
By noon, the National Weather Service had reported about 4 inches of snow in New Orleans. The storm prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border, and snow plows were at the ready in the Florida Panhandle, according to the Associated Press.
The snowstorm currently lashing the Gulf Coast is being described as a once in a generation weather event, the National Weather Service said Monday.
The cold temperatures are coming from a not uncommon expansion in the Polar Vortex, which are counter-clockwise rotating air currents that typically hang over the Arctic.
Snow flurries are continuing to rain down in Louisiana as inches of snow pile up on the ground across the state, already exceeding some previous predictions for the maximum amounts
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Parish officials have enacted curfews as Louisiana has extremely cold temperatures and inches of snow. A Cold Weather Advisory was issued as dangerous wind chill values will be expected tonight and during the overnight hours.
Southern Louisiana from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Lafayette was covered with historic snowfall Tuesday as Governor Jeff Landry announces closures.