The South’s cold snap won’t last forever. But these effects are expected to linger.
As temperatures climbed above freezing across much of the Southern United States Thursday, Americans from Texas to New Orleans faced the daunting task of cleaning up from a deadly storm that dropped unprecedented snow totals on the region.
In Pensacola, Fla., which received more than 7 inches of snow, temperatures were expected to rise from a low of 26 degrees to a high of 44 degrees on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasts for Mobile, Ala. predicted a jump from 13 degrees to 47 degrees, two days after the area received 7.5 inches of snow. The Houston area could reach above 50 degrees by Thursday afternoon.
Weather.com forecasts suggest temperatures could be well into the 60s across impacted Southern states by the weekend. Soon, snowmen will soon melt into brown piles of sludge and green grass will appear again.
Still, areas not used to digging out from winter weather will face challenges to getting back to normal long after the snow disappears. The storm’s effects could linger for days, weeks, or, in some cases, months.
Here are some of the ways it could continue to snarl life in the South:
Broken hips and heart attacks
At least 12 people have died in the winter storm and many more are contending with severe injuries from shoveling and icy falls.
Ochsner Health in New Orleans saw a significant uptick in injuries over the last few days, including eight hip fractures on Tuesday when blizzard conditions whipped through the area, Dr. Jon Michael Cuba, chair of emergency medical services said.
He estimated that 40% to 50% of the hospital’s admissions that day were fracture-related. Some of those orthopedic injuries will require weeks of physical therapy and rehab.
Many medical facilities, including Ochsner, cancelled non-emergency appointments during the storm and are expecting a back-up in patient care over the next few days. In some areas where it is too slippery for even ambulances to pass, emergency and operating rooms could experience long wait times.
A log-jam of patients are also waiting to be discharged from hospitals until roads are safe, preventing hospitals from accepting new patients, Ochsner said. As roads open back up, the chaos will increase.
Damage from winter-storm car crashes
Roads are expected to remain dangerous over the next few days as snow melts and freezes into ice. Even after the last traces of the storm are gone, though, many throughout the south will be forced to deal with vehicle damage.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety on Wednesday said it received 1,960 weather-related service calls and 250 total crash reports during peak hours of the storm.
AAA Alabama spokesperson Clay Ingram told Paste BN that the organization typically sees a 200% increase in calls for assistance during snowstorms despite fewer people being on the roads.
Did the snowstorm kill Orange trees and other plants?
Citrus trees, succulents and other tropical trees native to warm-weather regions could be damaged from the snow and freezing temps.
Smaller, less developed lemon and orange trees that were uncovered and left outside in the frigid temperatures likely died, Josh Wilson, a plant technician at Pinelands Nursery in Milton, Florida, said. More well-established trees should have survived but could have a few dead branches, Wilson suggested.
Farmers and ranchers in Texas aren’t anticipating long-term damage to their crops as a result of the cold, and some drier areas in the state could see benefits from the snow, Gary Joiner, a spokesperson for the Texas Farm Bureau, told Paste BN.
Crops growing during this time of year, including winter wheat, can withstand cold temperatures and the moisture from the snow may help the crops grow, Joiner said. If the storm had passed through in February or March when crops were most vulnerable, the situation could have been more dire, he suggested.