A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents haven’t seen before.

Sun-soaked Florida and other parts of the South appear to have shattered snowfall records in what many are calling a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness sandy snowscapes on beaches, of all places. So much of the white stuff piled up across the South that snowballs flew on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and children and parents who don’t own sleds used inflatable alligators,

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.

A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents haven't seen before. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was combining with a low-pressure system and chilly air to drop significant amounts of snow in some spots.