Winter blast stretches from Texas to Maine

Ninety million Americans are under winter storm warnings and advisories from Texas to Maine today, with a swath of snow stretching over 1,700 miles from Houston to New England.

Snow is forecast to move into the Northeast and East Coast late this evening through Wednesday morning, while a deep freeze is in store for the Deep South, with wind chills in the single digits as far south as Mobile, Alabama.

As the latest winter storm hits the Deep South, numerous schools are closed from Texas to Georgia today. In Houston, over 600 flights have been canceled due to the ice, sleet and snow, with multiple accidents reported there. This morning, dangerous snowy and icy conditions wreaked havoc across the roads, causing closures and several accidents from Texas to Kentucky.

A little snow can go a long way in the south. Parts of Texas and Louisiana saw 1 to 3 inches Tuesday morning, which caused trouble on the roads. Shreveport, Louisiana, reported around 2 inches, which is the first measurable snow in three years. Some of the higher totals between 5 and 7 inches were reported in parts of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Looking ahead to Wednesday morning, snow is expanding from the western Florida Panhandle through the Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and up through Boston and much of New England -- a messy morning commute expected for the much of the East Coast.

By Wednesday afternoon, snow will be clearing for the major cities from D.C. to Boston, meaning minor snow totals are expected for coastal areas. Snow will continue for parts of the Carolinas, eastern Virginia and across New England, where higher totals are expected.

Generally, 1 to 3 inches of snow is in the forecast for most spots in the Mid-Atlantic and coastal Northeast through Wednesday, with locally higher amounts of 3 to 5 inches possible in some areas such as central Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. The heaviest snow, which could exceed 6 inches, is possible for parts of New England, where winter storm warnings are in effect.

Looming behind the storm system is an arctic blast that goes all the way to the Deep South. It will feel like zero degrees in Birmingham, 1 in Atlanta, 11 in Houston, and below zero for Memphis and Nashville. Some record lows are possible in the South from Austin, Texas, to New Orleans.