Snow fell in Houston and prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach.

A major winter storm that slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow moved east Wednesday, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle,

Around 40 million people, primarily across the southern US, were under some type of weather hazard, March Chenard, a meteorologist with the NWS, told BBC's partner CBS News. Another 170 million people from the Rockies to points eastward were under an extreme weather warning or cold weather advisory.

Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are spreading east across parts of the Florida panhandle and eastern Carolinas, closing roads and schools and grounding flights.

CLEVELAND (WJW) — A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY will be in effect for all of Northeast Ohio through Wednesday morning. Wind chills will likely stay below zero degrees for 72 hours.

A polar vortex is slated to sweep most of the continental US bringing winter storm warnings and a hazardous freeze to millions.