A winter storm was on a track to sweep through Texas and Louisiana, across the Gulf Coast and deep into Florida, significant snow and ice in tow.

Flight cancellations are mounting as a historic winter storm sweeps across the Gulf Coast. Already, the storm has brought air traffic to a virtual standstill at several airports across parts of Texas and Louisiana.

In addition, the strip of winter storm and blizzard warnings stretching from South Texas to Jacksonville, Fla. is something rarely seen, as a low pressure area traverses the central Gulf of Mexico, directing abundant moisture northward, into the frigid air mass.