Temperatures could dip to record lows along the Gulf Coast and into the Tennessee Valley, the National Weather Service warned.

The beaches even may see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, the weather service said, with the mainly snow expected.

Around 40 million people in the U.S. are under a winter storm warning from an unusual blast of severe winter weather.

Frigid temperatures engulfed the South on Monday ahead of a winter storm that's expected to spread heavy snow and disruptive ice around a region from Texas to north Florida that rarely sees such weather,

Both airports are closed in Houston on Tuesday in anticipation of snow and ice. Schools are also closed in the Houston and Austin areas on Tuesday. Parts of Louisiana and Mississippi could potentially see between 5 and 8 inches of snow,