Winter Storm Enzo Live Updates: Death Toll Climbs In Texas As Deep South Shuts Down

A​ once-in-a-lifetime winter storm continues to hit hard in the South, shutting down travel and leaving millions with the most snow recorded in at least a century in cities like New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola.

W​inter Storm Enzo has moved on from those areas and is now winding down along the Southeast coast, but the impacts are far from over. The latest news is below – check back for frequent updates as the day goes on. And to read Tuesday's live updates as the storm clobbered the Gulf Coast, click here.

(​10:40 a.m. ET) Emergency Declared In Atlanta Area

O​fficials in DeKalb County, Georgia declared an emergency at around 10 a.m. due to severe winter weather and are asking everyone to shelter in place.

D​ekalb is on the east side of Atlanta and includes the cities of Decatur, Dunwoody, Chamblee, North Druid Hills and Stone Mountain.

(9:47 a.m. ET) Cold Records Smashed In Louisiana

N​ew all-time record lows were broken or came close across parts of southern Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

T​hat includes:

• 6 degrees in Lake Charles, nearing the all-time record of 3 degrees set in 1899.
• 2​ degrees in New Iberia, a new all-time low in records going back to 1948.
• 4​ degrees in Lafayette, the lowest ever in records going back to 1893.

(​8:30 a.m. ET) Winter Wonderland For Florida's Capital

T​hough it wasn't all snow – it was mostly sleet, actually – Tallahassee recorded up to 1.9 inches of wintry precipitation from Winter Storm Enzo. And that was enough to transform the campus of Florida State University into a winter wonderland, as you can see in this drone video from Mike's Weather Page.

(​8:15 a.m. ET) Myrtle Beach Covered In Snow This Morning

I​n yet another bizarre visual of a Southern beach town draped in wintry precipitation, Myrtle Beach meteorologist Ed Piotrowski shared aerial images of a snow-covered coastline as the sun rose this morning.

(​7:55 a.m. ET) Don't Worry, Crawfish Season Will Be Fine

A​s we rapidly approach the much-anticipated crawfish season in the South, experts say not to worry – neither Enzo nor the subsequent cold blast will wipe out the "mudbugs."

N​ola.com interviewed Todd Fontenot, the crawfish extension agent with the LSU AgCenter, who said the cold-blooded creatures won't grow much during the cold weather, but they're able to conserve energy and survive frigid temperatures by moving very little.

"​You know, it's a short-term delay in the old activities, but with some good warming weather come out of this, we find it's gonna get back to where it was pretty quickly again," Fontenot told Nola.com.

(​7:30 a.m. ET) Snow 'Refrigeration Effect' Drops Louisiana Temperatures Further

Everyone is talking about the snow, but it was also pretty wild to see single-digit temperatures Wednesday morning in Louisiana. The extra ‘Brrrr!’ had to do with a process known as the snowpack refrigeration effect.

Snow has a high albedo, or reflectivity. During the day, snow on the ground reflects sunlight, which keeps the surface cooler than it would be without snow. At night, the heat absorbed by the snow during the day radiates back into the atmosphere, dropping overnight temperatures more than if there were no snow on the ground.

(​7:05 a.m. ET) Where This Was A Historic Storm

T​he snow is still being measured and totals remain unofficial in some areas, but here's where we know this storm broke records.

-​ New Orleans (8 inches): Biggest snowstorm in modern history (since 1948), and the snowiest day for the city in over 100 years. Old record: 2.7 inches.

-​ State of Florida (8.8 inches in Milton): This total is preliminary but it more than doubles the state's previous record for the biggest 24-hour snow total, which was 4 inches in Milton on March 6, 1954.

-​ Pensacola, Florida (7.6 inches): New all-time record

-​ Mobile, Alabama (7.5 inches): New all-time 1- and 2-day snow records

(​6:45 a.m. ET) Atlanta-Area Schools Closed Or Delayed

F​ollowing a rough afternoon commute where about an inch of snow rapidly froze on roads and left many drivers unable to get home, several metro Atlanta school districts will either be closed today or won't open on time.

A​tlanta Public Schools canceled classes for today, as did Clayton County Schools. In Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, students in the county's school district will have remote learning today, as will Gwinnett County, the state's largest district.

N​orth of the city, Cobb County Schools announced a delayed start this morning.

(​6:15 a.m. ET) Death Toll Rising In Texas

B​ehind the winter storm, a round of dangerously cold air moved southward, dropping temperatures into the single digits (or colder) for millions early this morning. In Austin, Texas, two people died from the cold weather, the city announced, providing no further details. The city responded to several other "cold exposure" calls during and after the storm, according to the Associated Press.

D​uring the winter storm, there were "several" deaths in Zavala County, Texas, due to an icy crash near the Highway 57 bridge.