A winter storm prompted a National Weather Service office in Louisiana to issue a first-ever blizzard warning. The storm is causing dangerous conditions from Texas to North Carolina.

Meteorologists were left speechless Tuesday as record amounts of snow fell along the Gulf Coast. Here’s why it was so snowy.

As the system moves around the coast, it should bring a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the Florida Panhandle.

Areas of the country that don’t regularly deal with freezing temperatures are now in the middle of a cold snap. Several states including Georgia and Florida are under states of emergency declarations because of the winter weather. A blizzard warning was issued for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, the first for that area.

Snow was falling in New Orleans, where as much as 8 inches were expected to accumulate by the end of the day, threatening to tie a record set in 1895.

Temperatures could dip to record lows along the Gulf Coast and into the Tennessee Valley, the National Weather Service warned.

Get live updates on winter storms hitting the southern and eastern parts of the U.S. today. Follow the latest weather news as the Gulf Coast faces unusual cold and snow.

The snow storm could hit over a dozen states through Wednesday, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Airports are readying for major disruptions in Texas, Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast before anticipated wintry blast.

At least 10 people have died. Officials warned that arctic cold will persist for another day, and roads could remain dangerous. Still, many Southerners found joy in the rare experience.

More than 170 million people across the United States, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border are under cold weather alerts ahead of a crippling winter storm expected to sweep through the south from Texas to Georgia,