A major winter storm slammed the southern US Tuesday, blanketing parts of the Gulf Coast with record-breaking snowfall in a region largely unaccustomed to extreme winter weather.

At least nine people are believed to have died as a result of the dangerous cold gripping much of the country, as a once-in-a-generation winter storm wreaks havoc on the Gulf Coast — a region wholly unaccustomed to winter weather.

The interstate exit in Alabama used to be quiet. Then, six years ago, a Buc-ee’s Travel Center opened. The cars have not stopped since. The giant roadside convenience store brought an economic boom to the small but growing city of Loxley, just a half-hour east of Mobile.

The U.S. is marking Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday. But in Alabama and Mississippi, it's also Robert E. Lee Day, in honor of the Confederate general.

Superior Environmental Solutions, a provider of vertically integrated environmental and industrial services, has acquired Mobile, Ala.-based American Remediation & Environmental Inc. Terms of the deal, which was announced Jan. 13, were not disclosed.

The Pensacola area is forecast to receive between 4 to 6 inches of snow, but the National Weather Service says areas south of I-10 could see more.

Malik Dia’s 23 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks led No. 21 Mississippi to a 74-64 win over No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday.

This winter storm could be “historic” for south Alabama with some counties potentially receiving up to 3 or 4 inches of snow on Tuesday.