Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — While New Englanders are used to winter storms and frigid temperatures, that's not the case down south.
A rare winter storm has residents of the deep south facing blizzard conditions, historic snow amounts, and icy temperatures.
Governors in several states including Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana have declared states of emergency.
Residents in north Florida have been hunkering down for what forecasters said could be one of the most impactful winter storms in Gulf Coast history.
Normally during the winter months, New Englanders head south to Florida for some much-needed sun and sand therapy.
But at Logan Airport it wasn't hard to find disappointed travelers like Jessica and Ashley who were just returning from the so-called 'sunshine state.' "Normally when I go to Florida, I can pack my bathing suits and dresses," Jessica said. "But this trip was exactly what I wear in New Hampshire. I didn't have to change my wardrobe at all because I knew the same temperatures here were the same as out there," she said. "Very disappointing."
Ashley said there was one night in Florida that felt just like home. "We froze one night in our Airbnb," she said. "We were freezing even huddled together. So cold."
The National Weather Service said the extreme cold and stormy weather down south that is setting records and disrupting travel is from a bitterly frigid air mass that extends to New England.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.