Millions of people across the northern Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for a rare winter storm that’s expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.

Temperatures could dip to record lows along the Gulf Coast and into the Tennessee Valley, the National Weather Service warned.

The National Weather Service thinks that Alabama’s southernmost counties could see 3 to even 4 inches of snow. Snow is even expected along the beaches, according to forecasters. The rest of south Alabama will likely get 1 to 3 inches of snow as well.