The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern US into a deep freeze.

MIAMI - A major winter storm is moving into northern Florida on Tuesday, bringing what will potentially be record-breaking snowfall totals in spots, the threat of accumulating ice and locally treacherous travel conditions.

A historic and dangerous winter storm stretching over 1,500 miles is blanketing the southern U.S. with heavy snow, including areas of southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana under Blizzard Warnings.