A major winter storm slammed the southern US Tuesday, blanketing parts of the Gulf Coast with record-breaking snowfall in a region largely unaccustomed to extreme winter weather.

The National Weather Service thinks that Alabama’s southernmost counties could see 3 to even 4 inches of snow. Snow is even expected along the beaches, according to forecasters. The rest of south Alabama will likely get 1 to 3 inches of snow as well.

The state has seen two outbreaks of winter weather that impacted north and south Alabama with several inches of snow.

Snow was falling in New Orleans, where as much as 8 inches were expected to accumulate by the end of the day, threatening to tie a record set in 1895.

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 the second time in two weeks snow is falling in Alabama, but on this occasion the weather event is targeted in the southern portion of the state. And, it’s bringing a rare snowfall to the sugar white beaches of Gulf Shores.

Alabama hit with winter storms