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.

A rare frigid storm is charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow, closing highways and grounding nearly all flights.

The forecast doubled the amount of snow expected in the Columbia area, as up to 2 inches of the white stuff is now forecast to accumulate, according to the warning. Between 2-3 inches of snowfall is possible in the southern reaches of the Midlands, meteorologists said in the briefing. Localized amounts in other areas could be higher.

A First Alert Weather Day has been declared for Tuesday and into Wednesday morning as a rare Winter Storm Warning has been issued beginning Tuesday afternoon across much of our area.

Whether it is snow or ice, any accumulation will cause hazardous travel conditions, please travel with extreme caution.