A rare winter storm is bringing heavy snow, sleet and ice to Texas and the northern Gulf Coast

A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. The storm is expected to drop heavy snow and create treacherous conditions, including freezing rain and sleet Tuesday. Meanwhile, people in the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine were experiencing bitterly cold temperatures as an Arctic air mass caused temperatures to plunge well below normal values with dangerously cold wind chills. Online tracker FlightAware says nearly 2,000 flights within the U.S. or entering or leaving the country were canceled Tuesday with about 10,000 more flights delayed.