New Orleans tied its single-day snowfall record in a rare winter storm on Tuesday, just as official reports of snow on the Mississippi Coast shattered previous records in a ‘rare’ and ‘historic’ winter storm.

Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills were also expected to last over much of the week in the region. Authorities say three people have died in the cold weather.

A rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow that