Though NWS forecasters are still collecting official snowfall counts, these reports give a good look at just how much snow Louisiana saw.

This Is Home Fest is returning for its fifth year, featuring a celebration of food, music and community. This year’s festival will take place April 26 at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, according to a news release.

Snow flurries are continuing to rain down in Louisiana as inches of snow pile up on the ground across the state, already exceeding some previous predictions for the maximum amounts

The cold temperatures are coming from a not uncommon expansion in the Polar Vortex, which are counter-clockwise rotating air currents that typically hang over the Arctic.

The Interstate 10 closure spans nearly the entire state, ending west of the Mississippi state line east of New Orleans.

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - For many in Southwest Louisiana, it was the most and the best snow they’ve ever seen, which explains the excitement at the Lake Charles Event Center where a humble hill became a recreational wonder.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state officials held a news briefing on Wednesday to update residents on the unprecedented weather event and its ongoing challenges.

Aside from a water system failure in Lafayette, most of the state’s public utilities faired well Tuesday as a blizzard covered southern Louisiana, but things could change.

Some schools and offices are reopening as the ice clears from Southwest Louisiana roads. This story will be updated as we receive word of who will be open Friday. To report a closure, email closings@kplctv.

Though the snow is quickly melting across Southwest Louisiana, chilly temperatures will persist for another couple of nights. National Weather Service Lake Charles Meteorologist Donald Jones said temperatures will be in the mid-20s overnight into Friday morning followed by a lighter freeze Friday night into Saturday morning.

As Louisiana schools remain stuck in the middle of a legal battle over a new state law requiring every public classroom to display the Ten Commandments, a panel of three judges heard arguments over the controversial mandate on Thursday morning.