Icy roads pose dangerous threat in wake of massive winter storm that paralyzed Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow

(CNN) — 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.

The storm impacted 1,500 miles of the Deep South from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas, causing widespread closures and travel disruptions, including stranded motorists and thousands of canceled flights.