A National Weather Service office in Louisiana issued its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday amid snow and strong winds.

Snow totals were rivalling all-time records. Officials were urging residents to take precautions and stay off roads.

For example, Lake Charles, La., along the Gulf Coast, showed snowfall rates of over 1 inch per hour this morning and early afternoon and visibility down to a quarter of a mile with blowing snow. This is one of the reasons why blizzard warnings were posted briefly for that region earlier.

The Interstate 10 closure spanned nearly the entire state, ending west of the Mississippi state line east of New Orleans. Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) had deployed crews traveling in both directions to treat the interstate's surfaces in an effort to restore normal traffic flow.

ATLANTA — A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

The cold temperatures are coming from a not uncommon expansion in the Polar Vortex, which are counter-clockwise rotating air currents that typically hang over the Arctic.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the state is facing potential record snowfall that could close Mississippi River bridges from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

Trash collection will run three days behind schedule for the remainder of this week, completing on Monday, Jan. 27. Next week's collections will run one day behind schedule, beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Recycling collection has been suspended this week and will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

As south Louisiana residents anxiously watch forecasts of possible snow next week, highways officials prep to keep roadways safe.

After a historic winter storm hit the Interstate 10 corridor on Tuesday, parts of the vital east-west artery remain closed due to icy road conditions in

NEW ORLEANS — A rare winter storm dropped historic levels of snow across Louisiana. Here is a list of bridges, roadways and Interstates that are open. Drivers should avoid being on the roadways if travel is not absolutely necessary, DOTD said.

Starting in Gueydan, the trail ride spans much of southwest Louisiana, passing through Lake Arthur, Jennings, Welsh and Iowa to eventually arrive at the rodeo parade and later ride into Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.