Louisiana closes 100-mile stretch of I-10 as rare storm hits Gulf Coast

Authorities in Louisiana closed 100 miles of Interstate 10 in nearly half of the state on Wednesday as a powerful storm brought ice to the Gulf Coast and prompted warnings about the first blizzard in the state.

The announcement shortly after midnight extended the initial 50-mile closure, between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, west to the Texas border. The state Department of Transportation and Development said more highways were closed in response to poor roads.

Another 50 miles of Interstate 10 have been closed in and around New Orleans since Tuesday. The eight snowfalls that fell at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Tuesday beat the record of 2.7 inches set in 1963, according to the National Weather Service.

Interstate 10 is one of three freeways running coast to coast in the United States and is a major east-west link for the southern Louisiana cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. Its length in Louisiana is less than 275 miles, and it connects the state with Mississippi and Texas.