Roughly 40 million people from Texas to the Carolinas are under winter weather alerts, as a rare winter storm brings bone-chilling temperatures and potentially historic snowfall to cities unused to harsh cold weather.

Impacts will begin in east Texas by Monday night. Ice and snow could contribute to power outages amid freezing temperatures.

Winter Storm Enzo is pounding Southeast Texas with snow and ice, and conditions on Houston roads are deteriorating rapidly.

So many of you have never seen an event like this,” Louisiana’s state climatologist warned, with New Orleans facing possibly the most snow it has ever seen.

An unusual winter storm has blanketed Houston and much of Southeast Texas in a fresh coat of snow and sleet. How long will it be until roads are safe?

A powerful and dangerous winter storm sweeping across the South is dumping heavy snow across Houston and other major metropolitan areas along the Interstate 10 corridor, prompting the first-ever Blizzard Warning along portions of the Gulf Coast.

Most San Antonio-area school districts have announced they will close Tuesday, including San Antonio, Northside, and Judson independent school districts. Area colleges and universities are also shuttering amid the freeze. Here's a full list of school closures.

As Florida braces for impacts from a winter storm, schools and universities in northern Florida are canceling classes ahead of the winter weather.

Texas ports and pilots, who assist in moving vessels around ports, suspended some operations on Monday as frigid weather conditions hit the state.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) told Newsweek: "ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch from January 20-23 due to predicted extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves. Winter precipitation is also expected across parts of the state.

Austin woke up to sleet and snow accumulations ranging from half an inch to 2 inches on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.