At least three deaths were attributed to the cold as dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills settled in.

A rare winter storm churned across the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, ice and wind gusts to a region where flurries are unusual, while much of the United States remained in a deep freeze.

Weather forecasters and public agencies issued health and power loss warnings Tuesday as a “rare winter storm" gripped parts of the southern and eastern United States."A bitterly cold airmass will remain in place for much of the South and eastern U.

A snowstorm grips the U.S. South, creating unusual winter scenes:::: Tucker, Georgia:: Panama City, Florida:: Houston, Texas:: New Orleans, LouisianaThe storm is expected to crawl through Mississippi,