Blizzards along the Gulf Coast are usually only seen at Snow Queen. But on Tuesday, for the first time ever, the National Weather Service office in southwest Louisiana issued a blizzard warning for some counties and parishes.

"I never thought these words would come out of my mouth," meteorologist Donald Jones said during a briefing at the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The blizzard warning covers two Texas counties and six Louisiana parishes, meaning residents could see frequent wind gusts of 35 mph and visibility limited to a quarter mile. A large swath of the South is facing extreme cold, sleet and snow this week.

Jones said that as of Tuesday morning, snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches or more, with "more to come in the next few hours."

Snow also fell in New Orleans Tuesday morning, and the National Weather Service office said the area could see very cold temperatures this week.

According to the latest update from National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Gilmore, "wind chills in the teens and possibly single digits" will hit areas including New Orleans, Baton Rouge and southwest Mississippi .

Gilmore said Wednesday will be the coldest morning, with temperatures expected to hit 22 degrees in New Orleans, and urged people to limit their time outside.

Emergency officials say people need to take steps to protect water pipes, pets, plants and each other from the effects of the ice. Local and state governments are opening warming centers and warning drivers to be careful of dangerous roads that may be covered in ice.

"Driving on the roadways can be very dangerous," said Eric Bullard of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Public Broadcasting reported. "So, don't go out if you don't have to. Stay home."

Winter storm felt from Texas to North Carolina

Winter storms pose dangers to millions of people from southern Texas to northern North Carolina. Health warnings and road closures spread as temperatures plummeted Tuesday morning, but people also seized the rare opportunity to see their neighborhoods blanketed in snow and go sledding.

"It's just an extraordinary thing to get out of your house and step into the snow," Houston resident Patrick Van Pelt told Houston Public Media. He added, "It seems like every 10 or 12 years we get snow. , but I would never consider going sledding.”

The storm is powered by a unique mix of Arctic air falling from the north, a low-pressure system that pulls large amounts of moisture ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. The path of the resulting winter storm is similar to a tropical storm in that it carves an icy path from the Gulf Coast to Georgia and the Carolinas.

In the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola will see its first measurable snowfall since 2014, according to member station WUWF.

As the system moves eastward, heavy snow will hit southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia on Tuesday afternoon, with the NWS Tallahassee office expecting 3 to 4 inches of snow.

On Monday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in the state that will be in effect until January 28, member station WABE reported. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency, according to member station WFSU.

Forecasters have been warning of the storm's potential impact for days, but even as the storm unfolds Tuesday, experts warn some forecasts are still changing.

For example, the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Ga., said snow and freezing rain are likely to continue due to extremely cold temperatures. But it added that for much of Georgia, freezing precipitation would need to pass through a lower layer of dry air, making it difficult to predict accumulation amounts.