The unusual freeze generated by the historic winter storm in the southern United States will last until Sunday, leaving the region in extreme cold and ice and creating dangerous driving conditions.
The cold extends from Houston, through New Orleans and northern Florida to the coast of the Carolinas. It has left travelers stranded, highways closed and cities virtually paralyzed since Tuesday, with snow, sleet and freezing rain.
In Milton, Florida, 9 inches of snow fell yesterday. National Weather Service offices issued a rare winter storm warning for counties from Pensacola to Jacksonville, warning of accumulations of snow and ice that could make travel dangerous.
Areas where temperatures were above freezing remained dangerous for travelers as melted snow refroze overnight, creating slippery roads for travelers not accustomed to driving in such conditions, the National Weather Service reported.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency and said that for northern Florida communities the winter disaster could be a record.
The biggest snowfall of all time in the Sunshine State was 4 inches in Milton, outside Pensacola, on March 6, 1954, which was eclipsed Tuesday by measurements around Pensacola.
Abundant images of a winter country circulate on the web, with children making snowmen in places as unthinkable as Savannah, Georgia, and using kayaks as sleds in Pensacola.
