Snow and ice had ground road travel at a halt in some places, and at least two people died in Texas. Many school districts had closed throughout a region unaccustomed to snow.

Blizzard warnings were issued for areas near the Gulf Coast as a massive winter storm hits the South. Nearly 250 million Americans are under cold weather advisories or extreme cold warnings.

For example, Lake Charles, La., along the Gulf Coast, showed snowfall rates of over 1 inch per hour this morning and early afternoon and visibility down to a quarter of a mile with blowing snow. This is one of the reasons why blizzard warnings were posted briefly for that region earlier.