Residents of the Gulf Coast states woke up on Tuesday morning to something very rare – snow, and lots of it. An unprecedented blizzard hit the region, befuddling both denizens and meteorologists. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of these folks down there.

This has been the coldest start to January in a decade for Polk County, the NWS says. Here's what to expect as a historic winter storm invades Florida.