Millions of people across the northern Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for a rare winter storm that's expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern U.

A powerful and dangerous winter storm sweeping across the South is dumping heavy snow across Houston and other major metropolitan areas along the Interstate 10 corridor, prompting the first-ever Blizzard Warning along portions of the Gulf Coast.

A historic, dangerous and deadly winter storm stretching over 1,500 miles is blanketing the southern U.S. with heavy snow, including areas of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coasts under their first-ever Blizzard Warnings.