New Orleans lost more than 200,000 trees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The federal funding freeze could stop the effort to replace them.

But thankfully, the winter precipitation that is unusual for the Gulf Coast likely did not affect New Orleans' plants and wildlife, experts say, from stately live oak trees to pesky mosquitoes.

Near-blizzard conditions have been reported at New Orleans Lakefront Airport for the past few hours, with wind gusts exceeding 45 mph. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through Tuesday evening.