It has been 35 years for Jacksonville, and the weather service in Houston said it was the most significant winter storm in the area since at least 1960. The storm's impact will be felt for days in Southern cities not accustomed to the deep freeze that has gripped most of the nation this week.

A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents haven’t seen before

The figures are unofficial because National Weather Service officials must assess totals, but Florida appears to have broken a state snow record.

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.