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.

Florida and Texas were both under winter storm warning from the National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday morning as an arctic air mass caused plunging temperatures and heavy snow along the Gulf Coast.

Flight cancellations are mounting as a historic winter storm sweeps across the Gulf Coast. Already, the storm has brought air traffic to a virtual standstill at several airports across parts of Texas and Louisiana.