Alabama continued to deal with snow on the ground on Thursday, two days after a historic Gulf Coast snowstorm. About 3 inches of snow was left on the ground Thursday morning at the National Weather Service office in Mobile. That’s nothing compared with the 7.5 inches the office had at the peak of the storm on Tuesday.

Snowfall records were threatened, and in many cases broken, in states like Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

For the second time in two weeks snow is falling in Alabama, but on this occasion the weather event is targeted in the southern portion of the state. And, it’s bringing a rare snowfall to the sugar white beaches of Gulf Shores.

NEW ORLEANS — A rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow that closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days.

It’s quite a sight in south Alabama: palm trees blowing in the wind, with snow down below. Alabama’s beaches have transformed into a winter wonderland as the white stuff touched down Tuesday in Gulf Shores,

An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday, as wind chills could drop to as low as 3 degrees in some spots. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures. An extended period of freezing temperatures could cause ruptured water pipes.

A once-in-a-generation snowstorm, tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, is plastering the Gulf Coast with record-setting snow and ice on Tuesday. Why it matters: This region isn't equipped to cope with heavy snow,