From Texas to Florida, rare winter storm brings deadly cold and snow to parts of the South

Frigid temperatures engulfed the South as a winter storm began spreading heavy snow and dangerous ice around a region from Texas to north Florida that rarely sees such weather. The cold front sent residents rushing to insulate pipes, check heating systems and stock up on emergency supplies.

At least four weather-related deaths have been reported. 

In Austin, Texas, two people died from the cold, Austin city officials confirmed Tuesday night.

In Dale County, Alabama, two people also died, the county coroner's office told CBS News. A 27-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle was involved in a crash on a snow-covered road in the city of Ozark, and in the town of Pinckard, a 37-year-old man who tried to warm his home by turning on the stove died when his house caught fire, the coroner said. 

Around 40 million people, primarily across the southern U.S., were under some type of weather hazard, including more than 21 million under a winter storm warning, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. He added that about 170 million people from the Rockies to points eastward were under either an extreme warning or a cold weather advisory.

Where are the winter storm warnings?

Parts of Texas are under a winter weather advisory, where some minor snow accumulations could result in slick spots — particularly on elevated surfaces. Multiple counties in the southern and eastern portions of the state are under a winter storm warning from an unusual blast of severe winter weather taking aim at a huge swath of the South including much of the northern Gulf Coast.

In Texas, three airports in Houston are halting flight operations on Tuesday as the region expects hazardous travel conditions. Major airlines are also delaying and canceling fights in preparation for the blast, CBS News MoneyWatch reported.

The storm was expected to impact Texas starting Monday evening, spread eastward through Wednesday morning with heavy snow expected along and to the north of the Interstate 10 corridor with sleet and freezing rain in south Texas and southeast Georgia and northern Florida. 

By Tuesday morning, areas from south Texas to Houston to New Orleans were blanketed under a rare snowfall.

People take a walk in a Houston neighborhood amid snow from a winter storm on Jan. 21, 2025.Ashley Landis / AP

Snow covers Canal Street in downtown New Orleans on Jan. 21, 2025.Gerald Herbert / AP

A blizzard warning was in effect until noon Tuesday in southern Louisiana — the first one ever issued for the area. To qualify for a blizzard warning, there need to be sustained winds over 35 mph and blowing snow causing reduced visibility down to 1/4 mile for at least 3 hours straight. 

Other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle are also facing winter storm warnings.

With northern Florida bracing for the possibility of snow and ice, Florida House and Senate leaders on Monday canceled committee meetings scheduled this week.

Elsewhere, people from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered in bitterly cold temperatures from an Arctic air mass that sent temperatures plunging well below normal, with dangerously cold wind chills.

The week ahead will be one of the coldest weeks in southern New England in years, CBS Boston reported.

How much snow and how cold?

Record cold temperatures are expected through Thursday for two-thirds of the eastern part of the U.S., and wind chills could be as low as 40-55 degrees below zero in some areas.

The intense cold temperatures prompted President Trump to take the oath as president Monday from inside the Capitol Rotunda, upending months of meticulous planning for a massive outdoor event with crowds sprawling down the National Mall. The last time an inaugural ceremony was held indoors was Ronald Reagan's in 1985.

In New York, temperatures managed to reach the mid-20s on Monday, but because of the breeze, it will feel like below zero across parts of the state. Heavy lake-effect snow was expected in western New York state Monday through Wednesday morning, with 1 to 2 feet possible in some areas along Lake Ontario.

In Texas, the lowest feels-like temperatures may dip down to 6 degrees, according to CBS News Texas meteorologists.

Elsewhere, an area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal weather over several days, with temperatures forecast to drop to between minus 30 degrees to minus 55 degrees on Monday. Sub-zero wind chills are expected as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

The weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region as high temperatures in many places were expected only to rise into the single digits or teens Monday and Tuesday. Night-time wind chills could drop temperatures to minus 20 or lower. Chicago's high Monday only was expected to hit 10 degrees, while Monday night's low was targeted at minus 5 degrees.

Like earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.

The last time the polar vortex hit the south severely was in February 2021, when the entire state was under a winter storm warning. It left millions without power and access to clean water.

Jonathan LeBron, 39, plumbing manager at Nick's Plumbing & Air Conditioning in the Houston area, said the company started getting homeowner calls Monday about worries of frozen pipes.

"There is a little bit of panic," LeBron said. "I think they're pretty aware of what's going on. The last freeze was three or four years ago. They want us to go out there and make sure things are insulated accordingly."

Houston's low temperature on Tuesday will be about 18, according to the National Weather Service, or low enough for water to freeze in pipes, expand and then cause the pipes to burst.

Nikki Nolan contributed to this report.