HOUSTON – A powerful and rare winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday, bringing the first-ever Blizzard Warning to the Gulf Coast and blasting communities from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas with record-shattering snow that snarled travel and brought daily life to a halt.”Honestly, it’s been a jaw-dropping 24 hours,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “I mean, to see some of the images that we have shown you on FOX Weather is something that you only see once in a generation.”But as the sun came up Wednesday, the thermometer still struggled to climb near freezing across the snow-blanketed South, leaving significant travel impacts to linger for another day. Florida, which more than doubled its state record for snowfall, shut down a nearly 200-mile stretch of Interstate 10 Wednesday night along the Panhandle due to lingering snow and icy conditions expected to linger into Thursday morning. “This truly will be a storm that decades from now we’ll have a new generation of kids being like, ‘Where were you in 2025 during that time?’” Merwin said.The historic winter storm first slammed into Texas early Tuesday morning, where five people were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash along U.S. 57 in Zavala County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Investigators said the initial crash happened during icy conditions when several vehicles were unable to stop. A semi-truck then hit the three vehicles involved in the crash when the driver was also unable to stop because of the winter conditions on the road. The storm continued on its journey to the east, bringing snow and sleet around Austin and San Antonio before interacting with moisture over the Gulf of Mexico.The storm then began to strengthen over southeastern Texas, dumping snow across the Houston metro as temperatures dropped, and wind chills made it feel even colder.7 PS OF COLD WEATHER SAFETYRoads and highways, including the busy Interstate 10 corridor, were covered in snow and ice, which led to numerous reports of crashes and closed sections of the highway for hours.George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston were shut down for all of Tuesday, only resuming operations Wednesday morning.HOU picked up 3 inches of snow Tuesday, making it the most snow in one day since Jan. 30, 1949, when 3.1 inches fell and the third-snowiest day on record at the airport. IAH received 1.2 inches.Classes were canceled at schools and universities across the region, and hospitals canceled outpatient appointments. Port Houston was also expected to remain closed Wednesday.DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APPThe combination of heavy snow and high wind gusts then brought blizzard and near-blizzard conditions to the Gulf Coast, triggering the first-ever Blizzard Warning for the coasts of Louisiana and southeastern Texas.The record-breaking storm brought heavy snow to New Orleans, blanketing palm trees in fresh flakes and halting the normally busy Big Easy.SEE IT: GULF COAST BEACHES COVERED WITH SNOW DURING HISTORIC WINTER STORMNew Orleans shattered its one-day snow total record by noon when Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) recorded 8 inches of snow. The new record breaks the Dec. 31, 1963, record of 2.7 inches.  The only heavier snowfalls ever recorded in the city stretch back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Officials at MSY said they were continuing to monitor winter weather conditions, and airlines canceled all departing flights on Wednesday.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER”Airlines will continue to evaluate if additional cancellations will occur on Thursday, Jan. 23 based on conditions in the local area as well as on the airfield,” officials said.The NBA announced that Wednesday night’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans has been postponed.”The decision was made in consultation with local officials to prioritize the safety of the players, fans and staff due to the hazardous weather conditions in the New Orleans area,” the NBA said in a statement. “The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.”Florida also saw major impacts from the winter storm, as rare Winter Storm Warnings were issued from Pensacola to Jacksonville.Pensacola was a jaw-dropping winter wonderland as the town picked up 8.9 inches of snow, now crowned as the snowiest day in Florida history, breaking the previous record of 4 inches. The 8.9 inches was more snow in Pensacola in one day than the city had seen in its previous 124 winters combined, according to the FOX Forecast Center.DRIVING ON THE ICE AND DRIVING IN THE SNOW: WEATHER DRIVING TIPS FOR DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHERAccording to National Weather Service meteorologists in Tallahassee, it will take several days to verify all the snowfall reports and determine if any city beat out the Pensacola metro for the largest snow measurement ever in the Sunshine State.SEE THE HISTORIC TOTALS FROM THE HISTORIC JANUARY SNOWSTORM OF 2025Officials said they had pre-treated roads, but the hazardous weather led to a series of crashes.Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) was open as the storm began, but it announced later in the afternoon that commercial airline flights servicing the airport were canceled and the airport says it will remain closed until Thursday afternoon.Similar cancellations were planned at the Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), where the last departing flight was expected to leave around 8 p.m. Tuesday, with operations returning to normal by noon Wednesday.Mobile, Alabama, saw its snowiest day on record Tuesday when at least 7.5 inches of snow fell.According to city officials, the weight of the “excessive snow” caused the Mobile Civic Center to collapse on Wednesday. The building was undergoing demolition, and officials said no one was injured.Impacts from the record-breaking winter storm were also seen across the Southeast into the Atlanta metro in Georgia. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) said operations were slowed during the storm, but the resumption of airport operations on Wednesday was complete by the afternoon. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on X that he was thankful to Georgia Department of Transportation crews for their tireless work to keep roads safe and clear, but said crashes and icy roads remain.There were reports of more than 100 vehicles becoming stranded on roads, many of them obstructing emergency response efforts.Warmer weather was on the way for the Gulf Coast later in the week, set to melt away what’s left of the icy aftermath and leaving residents to wonder when they might ever see snow in those parts again.