Tuesday’s storm left residents in near disbelief as the snow kept falling. The hard work is now underway to clear dangerously ice roads.

New Orleans is forecast to get several inches of snow on Tuesday, potentially setting a record in the city known for heat and humidity. Why it matters: The region is expected to shutdown through Thursday in anticipation of icy road conditions.

A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

For example, Lake Charles, La., along the Gulf Coast, showed snowfall rates of over 1 inch per hour this morning and early afternoon and visibility down to a quarter of a mile with blowing snow. This is one of the reasons why blizzard warnings were posted briefly for that region earlier.