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.S. into a deep freeze.

The storm has prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border

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.