Four people were reported dead in connection to the winter storm that descended across, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and other Southern states.

Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida. The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.

The South is bracing for a major winter storm, most of the nation remains gripped by extreme cold, and high winds could fan flames in California.

A major winter storm slammed the southern US Tuesday, blanketing parts of the Gulf Coast with record-breaking snowfall in a region largely unaccustomed to extreme winter weather.

Heavy snow and freezing temperatures are hitting parts of Texas and the Gulf Coast, causing travel disruptions and prompting a number of Southern governors to declare states of emergency. Winter weather — including low temperatures and storms — involves a number of risks,

Winter storm warnings spread from Louisiana through Virginia on Tuesday as a winter storm hit the U.S. Southeast.

A rare winter storm churned across the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, ice and wind gusts to a region where flurries are unusual, while much of the United States remained in a deep freeze.

The first ever blizzard warning has been issued for parts of the Texas and Louisiana coast as a historic snowstorm hits the South.