New Orleans — A major winter storm that slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow moved east Wednesday, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas.

A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

Officials in St. John the Baptist Parish announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew as a winter storm system continued to blanket the New Orleans region in snow. Residents are asked to stay of the roadways from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday because of the hazardous conditions, according to the St. John Sheriff's Office.