South Mississippi: Same temperature as Antarctica, and more snow than Anchorage, Alaska
January has been a wild month for weather in the United States.
Wildfires scorched California, blizzards tore through Texas and now rare heaps of snow have fallen on the Gulf Coast. How much snow, you ask? More than has fallen all winter in Anchorage, Alaska (3.8 inches).
The weather events continue on Wednesday with the National Weather Service issuing a Critical Risk of Fire Weather in Southern California and an abundance of cold weather warnings and advisories stretching across the Deep Southeast.
Locally, Tuesday’s snowfall was recorded as deep as nine inches in parts of Harrison and Jackson Counties according to the NWS’ unofficial report. An NWS employee recorded snow at 8.5 inches in parts of Ocean Springs, which would easily clear local records.
But how did the rest of the country fair during the storm? We take a look at how South Mississippi fared this week compared to everyone else.
We’re colder than
Sitka, Alaska
It’s cold and wet in Sitka, but temps pushing 40 degrees have freezing rain pouring on Sitkians instead of soft snow. A 45-degree temperature at noon Tuesday beat Gulfport’s mid-day temp by a full 20 degrees.
Victoria, Canada
British Columbia has practically been paradise while the rest of the continent is either on fire or frozen. Tuesday’s high touched 43 and just a few clouds were reported in the largely sunny sky.
Fuglafjorour, Faroe Islands
The border between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea is a brutal place. It’s no South Mississippi, though. Tuesday brought a low of 41 degrees and a light breeze around three miles per hour to the 1,633 Fuglafjorourians.
We’re warmer than
Hell, Michigan
It may be cold in Mississippi, but the fine people of Hell still have it worse. Temperatures dropped into the negatives overnight and is only expected to reach the mid-teens on Wednesday with wind gusts up to 31 miles per hour.
Sandwich, Illinois
Snow is expected to arrive in the Chicago suburb Wednesday evening, but the dangers arrived overnight in the area when icy temps forced the closure of over 100 schools.
NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman noted that “Some parts of the South have seen more snow than Chicago has seen all season long.”
Montauk, New York
The site of Percy Jackson’s battle with the Minotaur has been dealing with temperatures around 20 degrees below average for the region this time of year and much of the same is expected for the rest of the week. No precipitation is on the radar, but a dry wind has the feels-like in the teens.
About the same as
Elephant Island, Antarctica
High: 36 degrees. Low: 31 degrees. Biloxi? Antarctica? Pretty much the same thing.
And check out
Los Angeles, California
Fires continue to scurry across a Southern Cal landscape seemingly in its own world compared to the rest of the country. Much-needed rain is in forecast for the weekend, but they could bring serious mudslide risks.
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo and its ancient pyramids sits on nearly the exact same line of latitude as the Mississippi Coast. Weather there on Wednesday peaked at 71 degrees with a light rain around noon. Dead pharaohs can expect temps to rest in the upper 60s for the remainder of the week.
Luga, Russia
For global weather comparable to what South Mississippians are experiencing, look no further than the Oblast of Leningrad. Temperatures are resting in the low 30s with a few inches of snow expected during the week. Those with dust or dander allergies should remain indoors, however.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
