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.

Residents across the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine are bracing for dangerously low temperatures as residents along the East Coast contend with a thick blanket of snow — and more snowfall in the forecast.

Impacts will begin in east Texas by Monday night. Ice and snow could contribute to power outages amid freezing temperatures.

Florida and Texas were both under winter storm warning from the National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday morning as an arctic air mass caused plunging temperatures and heavy snow along 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.

After a statewide blackout in 2021 and a massive Austin outage in 2023, cold weather means energy anxiety for many in Central Texas.

Aaron Jayjack is in Houston, Texas, where a rare winter storm is bringing blizzardlike conditions from Louisiana to Texas.

Hazardous travel conditions are expected early Tuesday across the San Antonio metro area, but snow and ice will likely melt by the afternoon.

Texas ports and pilots, who assist in moving vessels around ports, suspended some operations on Monday as frigid weather conditions hit the state.

Delivery times for post in over half the country could be impacted due to hazardous weather, the U.S. Postal Service said.

Still, areas not used to digging out from winter weather will face challenges to getting back to normal long after the snow disappears. The storm’s effects could linger for days, weeks, or, in some cases, months. Here are some of the ways it could continue to snarl life in the South: