Maps show snowfall in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and other states in the Southern US

a rare and potentially fatal winter storm Several inches of snow fell across the southern US on Tuesday, halting travel for millions of Americans in Louisiana. texas And Florida.

“I was born and raised in New Orleans,” Ian Spooner told CBS News 24/7. “I can count on one hand the number of times it's snowed, and it's never snowed like this.” According to the National Weather Service, the last time snow was seen in New Orleans was in December 2004, and it was only half an inch.

with most of the south-east down winter weather adviceHere's how the cold and windy conditions are affecting the region, including blizzard warnings:

Snow causes flight delays

At least 400 flights were delayed and more than 350 canceled before Tuesday afternoon, according to the flight tracking company. flight AwareAirports in Houston and New Orleans were closed due to snow accumulation at the entrances.

A spokesperson for the New Orleans Aviation Board said the automatic doors were locked so they would not open and close during the hazardous weather event.

In Florida, Tallahassee International Airport canceled all flights after 3 p.m. and suspended operations until at least noon Wednesday. The state's governor and the governors of Georgia and Louisiana have declared states of emergency for the hardest-hit areas.

snow total map

According to CBS News meteorologist Jessica Burch, 4 to 8 inches of snow fell in southern Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.

Rene city in Louisiana state received record breaking snowfall of more than 10 inches. New Orleans saw flooding of about 9 inches. There are varying snow reporting sites within New Orleans, but the oldest records from a sub-station that is no longer in service reported 10 inches of snow in 1895 and 14.4 inches in 1909.

Another reporting site at New Orleans International Airport, which began recording snow accumulations in 1948, recorded its highest total snow on record as 2.7 inches in 1963. That is to say, no living person in the area has ever seen this much snow.

Videos posted on social media by residents show not only the amount of snow but also the speed of the snow falling. Due to the difficult and unprecedented conditions, the National Weather Service issued the first-ever blizzard warning for southern Louisiana on Tuesday.

A blizzard warning is in effect when sustained winds in excess of 35 mph are expected in an area, along with snow that reduces visibility.

Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings are still in effect for parts of Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan contributed reporting.