What’s the Biggest Snowfall Recorded in Lafayette History?

We don't get snow very often in South Louisiana, so you better believe when it's in the forecast, it gets us all a bit excited.

According to KATC-TV 3 Chief Meteorologist Rob Perillo, the long-term average for Lafayette is one inch of accumulating snow every 10 years. We average a dusting or light glaze once every three to four years.

So yeah, we have every reason to get a little frisky to know there is a good chance of seeing flakes gently falling from the sky in Louisiana early next week.

Exactly how much snow will we see in Acadiana?

As we are still days away from this potential wintry precipitation, it's still tough to predict. But the latest GFS model run shows snow and sleet for Acadiana next Tuesday (probably starting late Monday and ending on Tuesday evening.)

The amount of accumulation is still too hard to tell at this point. Models are suggesting 1-3" but we shall see.

It doesn't appear to be anything record-breaking though.

So, what is the most amount of snow to fall in Lafayette's recorded history?

You have to go back to 1895 for the answer. The largest recorded snow accumulation in Lafayette was 14 inches that fell February 14-15, 1895.

That was officially over 24 hours.

That storm brought 8-10 inches to New Orleans, 12.5 inches to Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles was hammered with a whopping 22 inches.

Some newspapers reported Rayne received 20 inches of snowfall over two days, but the National Weather Service doesn't have it listed.

As far as the upcoming storm, we'll stay connected with Acadiana's Weather Experts at KATC-TV 3 to keep everyone up to speed on the latest forecasts regarding next week's arctic blast and possible snowfall.

For any breaking developments, we will send them directly to you via our free app. Make sure you have the "Weather" and "Breaking News" alerts turned on.

Get our free mobile app