A major winter storm slammed the US Gulf Coast Tuesday, blanketing parts of a region largely unaccustomed to extreme winter weather with record-breaking snowfall.

It's something very weird and nuanced going on right now,’ says one expert about the potential reasons for the snow blanketing much of the southern U.S.

A record-setting snowstorm along the Gulf Coast has Louisiana officials worried people unaccustomed to the cold might overreact in ways that could get them killed. Hence, a strange warning was issued during the storm: Don’t invite alligators, bears and other wildlife into your home.