At least nine people died in brutal freeze after historic snowfall during once-in-a-generation storm in the South

At least nine people are believed to have died as a dangerous freeze grips much of the country as a once-in-a-generation winter storm wreaks havoc on the Gulf Coast – a region completely unaccustomed to winter weather.

While the freeze has proven deadly, footage from across the Gulf Coast shows snow blanketing unlikely places, creating surreal winter scenes: in New Orleans’ French Quarter, where street artists sang for passersby; on the grass at Florida border; and on beaches with white sand from Orange Beach, Alabama.

“I’ve never seen anything like it” – Brennan Matherne wrote on Xwhere he shared footage of snow falling in Cut Off, Louisiana “and will probably never do it again.”

Here’s what’s happening now:

• Deadly Storm: According to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, two deaths in Austin are being investigated as suspected cold-related deaths, although the medical examiner’s office has not made a final decision on the causes of death. At a press conference on Tuesday, Georgian authorities reported one death from hypothermia, saying the person had been outdoors the day before. Another death is believed to have been caused by hypothermia, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. An 80-year-old Milwaukee man collapsed outdoors early Sunday morning. At least five people died in a car crash caused by icy conditions early Tuesday morning in Zavala County, Texas. according to CNN affiliate WOAI/KABB, citing authorities.

• Record snowfall: Snow falls from southeast Texas through Louisiana and into parts of Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday, creating treacherous conditions. An area stretching from Houston to Alabama saw widespread snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with at least one region seeing double digits. Tuesday at New Orleans International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Louis Armstrong in New Orleans received eight inches of snow; the previous modern record was 2.7 inches in 1963. Florida likely broke its all-time statewide snow record with at least 5.5 inches in Molino – a record that has stood since 1954. Mobile, Alabama has recorded more than five so far inches of snow, breaking a 143-year-old record for snowfall in a single day. Record amounts of snow are forecast for New Orleans and other cities along the Gulf Coast.

• An unprecedented winter storm warning has been issued: Heavy snowfall and strong wind gusts caused fog in southern Louisiana, where snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 6 inches. This prompted first snow storm warning in history anywhere along the Gulf Coast from the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, for parts of southern Louisiana and far eastern Texas.

• Widespread closures: Snow closed or disrupted operations at many airports in the South, contributing to the cancellation of more than 2,300 flights to and from U.S. airports on Tuesday and more than 900 cancellations on Wednesday. Large sections of Interstate 10 – a major artery on the Gulf Coast – in Texas and Louisiana are closed Tuesday as snow and an ice mix make travel difficult. Major roads throughout the New Orleans area were closed. Schools and government offices are closed across the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, and the country is under a state of emergency Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida AND Mississippi.

• Bitter cold: Low temperatures and wind chills from the Canadian border to the Mexican border are reaching dangerous levels for the second day in a row. Wind chills were felt across most of the Gulf Coast Tuesday morning, with wind chills in the single digits in North Texas.

A “generational winter storm” hits at noon

Brutally low temperatures are allowing an extremely unusual storm to develop along the Gulf Coast.

Snow and an icy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain expanded early Tuesday morning and intensified throughout the morning. Snow even covered sandy beaches along the Texas coast on Tuesday morning.

The sweeping system is a “generational winter storm event.” National Weather Service he said Monday and urged everyone who crosses his path to take him seriously.

The services said the roads would be “extremely dangerous, if not impossible, at night and on Tuesday, and travel is therefore strongly advised against.” Schools are closed in states including Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina.

The complex mess of winter weather spread eastward throughout the day, reaching most of Mississippi and into Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and the western Florida Panhandle.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned state residents to stay off the roads as sudden snowfall later in the day could catch people off guard in places like Atlanta. According to Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale, there were indeed some road impacts early in the evening, especially south of Interstate 20. “Plow crews are having difficulty clearing some areas due to congestion unrelated to the incidents,” she said, encouraging drivers to avoid travel.

“The situation can deteriorate very quickly, just like in 2014.” Governor Kemp said. This year, several centimeters of snow fell paralyzed Atlanta with countless traffic incidents trapped drivers in the so-called “snow Magageddon”.

The rare winter storm comes as 33 million people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina are under winter weather warnings, and more than 200 million people in the U.S. are feeling the effects of the bitterly cold air more broadly. Temperatures reaching 50 degrees below zero were recorded across the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains on Monday, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees below zero on Tuesday morning – temperatures that can cause frostbite on exposed skin within minutes.

Air and road travel suspended; schools closed

Officials in affected southern states warned people to stay off roads, keep faucets from dripping to prevent pipes from freezing, check the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and refrain from using stoves to heat their homes.

Governors in Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida AND Mississippi declared a state of emergency while Texas authorities ordered state agencies to mobilize resources for the rare snowfall. In North Carolina, officials deployed some of the state National Guard to the eastern edge of the state to support local emergency responders.

“Most of us have never experienced this combination of bitter cold and significant amounts of snow in our lives” – Louisiana climatologist Jay Grymes he said Monday.

Travel was disrupted along the Interstate 10 corridor, with snowfall amounts ranging from 3 to 6 inches in some sections. By Tuesday afternoon, more than half a foot of snow had fallen on a stretch of I-10 in southwest Louisiana. One location north of Rayne, Louisiana, received 10.5 inches of snow before noon. The cold weather will block falling snow and ice, making roads dangerous.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the Louisiana State Patrol had responded to more than 50 weather-related calls and numerous accidents across the state.

Similar warnings were repeated in neighboring Florida. “Our infrastructure is designed differently than states that are used to this (winter weather),” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned at a news conference Tuesday. “The state has done a lot to prepare, but … driving on icy roads can be very, very dangerous.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than a dozen airports in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia were closed to commercial flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to the flight tracking website, more than 2,300 flights were canceled within, to and from the United States as of Tuesday morning, with the majority of flights coming from Texas and Louisiana. Flight awareness. Nearly all flights to or from New Orleans International Airport have been canceled by 10 a.m. CST.

Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana was closed on Tuesday the airport said it was due to ice and snow on the runways. Mississippi’s Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport also closed its terminal and runway “until weather permits safe reopening.” Mobile Regional Airport in Alabama closed around 9:15 a.m. ET, spokesman Devon Calametti told CNN, and plans to reopen at noon Wednesday.

Florida’s Tallahassee International Airport said it will suspend all operations at 4 p.m. ET and plans to reopen at noon Wednesday. AND Jacksonville International Airport will close after the last departure on Tuesday evening, around 8 p.m. Once again, the airport plans to reopen on Wednesday at noon.

Houston’s two major airports, George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, are also closed Tuesday, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, busiest in the worldAccording to spokesman Andrew Gobeil, the company is pretreating roads and airport surfaces in preparation for winter weather.

Schools across the Deep South were closed or moved online from Texas to Florida on Tuesday. In Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, moved all classes online. Houston Independent School District, the largest in the Lone Star State and eighth largest in the nation, will also be closed through Wednesday.

But while the weather meant trouble and headaches for many, others basked in the newness.

“This is the real deal, as we call it. Fluffy snow,” Benny Fontenot, a 51-year-old school principal in Rayne, Louisiana, near Lafayette, told CNN. He shared a video of himself sitting outside in the snow, wearing a traditional Cajun Mardi Gras costume and playing the accordion.

“For me it’s a blessing,” he said. “I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that God has blessed us with.”

CNN’s Taylor Galgano, Zenebou Sylla, Hanna Park, Jillian Sykes and Alexandra Skores contributed to this report.

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