Weather forecasters and public agencies issued health and power loss warnings Tuesday as a “rare winter storm" gripped parts of the southern and eastern United States."A bitterly cold airmass will remain in place for much of the South and eastern U.

A historic winter storm swept across the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow and icy conditions to the Southeast while most of the country was facing dangerously cold temperatures from an arctic blast that arrived over the weekend.

Areas of the country that don’t regularly deal with freezing temperatures are now in the middle of a cold snap. Several states including Georgia and Florida are under states of emergency declarations because of the winter weather. A blizzard warning was issued for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, the first for that area.