Millions of people across the northern Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for a rare winter storm that's expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern U.

A powerful and dangerous winter storm sweeping across the South is dumping heavy snow across Houston and other major metropolitan areas along the Interstate 10 corridor, prompting the first-ever Blizzard Warning along portions of the Gulf Coast.