Snow is not something that you see very often in Central Louisiana. 

Central Louisiana woke up to a blanket of snow, and several Pineville residents were out Tuesday morning enjoying it while it lasted. 

“We love it,” said Nikita Rackley, who was outside on Myrtle Street with Jayden Deslatte, 10, and his uncle Wesley Deslatte enjoying the rare snowfall. 

Chris Jasper, 20, and Corneilous Hughes, 12, donned a pair of Louisiana mittens (socks) on their hands as they pelted each other with snowballs on Barrett Street. Jasper said the socks did help keep their hands warm a little bit. 

“I hadn’t seen snow in years,” Jasper said. 

It was the first time Hughes has seen snow in Louisiana but has seen it in Houston. He expected it to snow here on Christmas. 

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Jaden Wells, a Louisiana Christian University freshman psychology major from Mandeville.  

The campus was closed Tuesday due to the weather, but Wells and Noah Nava, a junior education major from Newton, Texas, were outside throwing snowballs at each other and attempting to build a snowman. 

The snow was not sticky enough for the snowman, so they ended up with a small mound. 

“It’s perfect for snowballs though,” said Nava, showing one he just made. 

“We don’t get this a lot so you’ve got to get outside and enjoy it as much as you can,” said Wells. 

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles issued a Winter Storm Warning from midnight Tuesday until midnight Wednesday. A low of 14 degrees is expected for Tuesday night. Wednesday’s high is expected to be 30, with a low of 19. 

Snow began to blanket Baton Rouge around 4 a.m. Tuesday as a winter storm moves over Louisiana. 

Potentially historic snowfall is in the forecast, with up to 7 inches or more possible in Louisiana’s capital city today. 

Here’s a first look at photos and videos of snowfall from around the city, including at the Louisiana State Capitol building and LSU Tiger Stadium.

METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) — On the day before a forecasted winter storm is expected to hit Southeast Louisiana, the most dominant grocery chain in the region saw shoppers descending on its various locations.

Karah Smith was shopping at the Rouses Supermarket on Airline Highway in Metairie. It was her second visit to the store in recent days.

“I was picking up for a mix of things, like we would normally cook for dinner. But I also wanted to have some non-perishable food for backup, if we lose power,” she said.

For many in Louisiana, this week will be the first time they’ve seen snow in years, for some maybe ever. That’ll certainly be the case for Smith’s daughter. She’s only 2 months old.

“I’m excited for her,” Smith said. “We’ll have pictures of her in her little snowsuit, outside hopefully.”

Marc Ardoin manages the Rouses on Airline Highway. He said workers stayed busy keeping shelves full. It’s a drill they have down pat from similar years of hurricane preparations.

“There’s definitely the water and those kinds of items we buy during hurricane season, but people are looking for a lot more cold weather items,” Ardoin said. “So, you’re seeing stew meat, and that kind of stuff. People are getting what they need to make gumbo.”

Former actor and radio personality John “Spud” McConnell was one of the customers near the freezer aisle. He said he’s unsure what the winter storm will bring, but his household will be fed.

“I got a couple of big Boston butts and I’m going to put them in the oven tomorrow when it’s really cold,” he said. “I’m going to bake them bad boys all day and I’m going to be eating pig like the pig that I am.”

Preparing for wintry weather also requires warm gear.

“People have definitely been coming out and stocking up on gloves, hats for the kids, anything that’s going to keep them warm,” said Bubba Henry, a sales associate at Massey’s Outfitters in Mid-City.

The store on Carrollton Avenue had a shipment of gloves arriving a few hours before closing time Monday. Henry expected the gloves to move quickly. He advised anyone planning to be out in the winter conditions to dress in layers.

“If they have base layers, that would be great,” Henry said. “If they have athletic wear similar to when they go play soccer — that stretchy spandex — something like that.”

Even for customers who’ve spent time in cold climates, there’s no such thing as being overly prepared. Arturo Peal visited Massey’s Outfitters on Monday for one essential. After that, he felt ready for the forecasted freeze.

“Oh yeah, the only thing I needed was wool socks, because I have no idea where my wool socks are. I haven’t seen them. They’re buried somewhere in storage,” Peal said.

Most businesses, schools and government offices will be closed Tuesday.

While Southeast Louisiana is unfamiliar with winter storms, the region’s next collective step resembles what many communities take during hurricane season: Waiting for the storm to pass.

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