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.

Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills were also expected to last over much of the week in the region. Authorities say three people have died in the cold weather.

The storm prompted the first-ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border, and snowplows were at the ready in the Florida Panhandle.

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 major winter storm bringing blizzard conditions to Louisiana on Tuesday turned New Orleans into a snow town, blanketing palm trees in fresh flakes and halting the normally bustling Big Easy.

The NBA has postponed Wednesday night’s game in New Orleans between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pelicans after a historic winter storm dumped about a foot of snow in the Big Easy.