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.

A major storm spread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the coastal Carolinas on Wednesday after breaking snow records in Texas and Louisiana, treating the region to unaccustomed perils and wintertime joy.

North Florida residents from Pensacola to Jacksonville are bracing for what is expected to be a historic, once-in-a-lifetime winter storm.

Pensacola had official total of 7.6 inches, while Milton hit 8.8. Unofficial totals by Weather Service could be as high as 9.8 inches.

A 1,400-pound great white shark pinged in Florida waters for the 9th time this month. Wednesday's ping came right after snow blanketed North Florida.

Prior to this week, the record for most snow in a 24-hour period in Florida was 4 inches back in 1954. What’s remarkable is that this storm featured sleet and freezing rain too, but it was still mainly snow that fell in Northern Florida.

A rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow that

There were 18,000 Florida homes without power as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Governor’s Office. Some 20,000 have already been restored after losing power across the state during the storm. “Extreme Cold Warnings” remain in effect for most of the Panhandle through Thursday morning.

The Florida Department of Transportation along with Florida Highway Patrol troopers closed I-10 from Exit 152 (State Road 69) to Exit 192 (U.S. 90/Blue Star Highway) in both directions in Jackson County. Crash in Leon County on I-10 West at mile marker 215.

FOX 13's Jordan Bowen reports on the nearly 1,000 people participating in Florida Frontiersmen Club's Alafia River Rendezvous event to live as Floridians did in the 1840s as a way to raise awareness and help Florida's history.

We're tracking a rare winter precipitation event as it heads through neighborhoods in Florida's Big Bend and South Georgia this week.