Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida. The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.

Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are spreading east across parts of the Florida panhandle and eastern Carolinas, closing roads and schools and grounding flights.

Much of the country is seeing frigid temperatures while snow is impacting the U.S. as far south as Texas, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle. Kati Weis and Skyler Henry have more.

From kayaking in the snow to sledding on a cookie sheet, Texas and Louisiana residents found a number of creative ways to enjoy the historic winter storm that walloped the South on Tuesday.