HOUSTON (NewsNation) — Several cities in the southern U.S. are preparing for potentially record-breaking snow as millions of Americans face an artic blast, including the first-ever blizzard warning for parts of the Gulf Coast.
Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to North Carolina on Tuesday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to move eastward through the region into Wednesday.
Nearly 2,000 flights within the U.S. or entering or leaving the country were canceled Tuesday with about 10,000 more flights delayed, according to online tracker FlightAware.com.
In Texas, both Houston airports said that flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday. The city is expecting snow amounts not seen since 1960, with the National Weather Service predicting three to five inches, and possibly more in some areas.
Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday.
Snow on the Gulf Coast
Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour or more were possible from eastern Texas to the western Florida panhandle and historic snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was forecast along the Interstate 10 corridor including Houston; New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, according to the weather service. Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected across Georgia, Northern Florida and the Eastern Carolinas from Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Forecasters warned the sub-freezing morning lows could threaten sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing in areas unaccustomed to bitter cold.
Across Louisiana, officials urged residents to “stay home" and not "go sightseeing” during the storm, warning any road ice could make travel dangerous. The weather service warned power outages were possible in areas of significant snow and ice accumulation.
"It's not like we have any snowplows, and our residents don't particularly carry snow shovels in their tool sheds. So again, this is going to create a problem," said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
Crews have been working to treat roads for several days in anticipation of the storm.
"All hands-on deck — collaboration between the county and the state with our non-profits, our charities. Everyone is coming together to be prepared. We've been preparing since Thursday when we got notice of this artic blast coming in," said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Houston officials have brought in snowplows from north Texas, as their infrastructure was built for floods, not snow and ice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.