What is being called a once-in-a-generation winter storm hitting the south has killed at least eight people.
CNN reported that two people died in Austin, Texas, and are being investigated as to whether it was due to the cold weather.
One person died in Georgia from hypothermia, officials said, according to WSB.
At least five people died in a crash caused by icy conditions on Tuesday morning in Zavala County, Texas, WOAI reported.
The north is not immune to the severe weather this week where temperatures plummeted to a -36 wind chill overnight Monday into Tuesday, WISN reported. An 80-year-old man in Milwaukee fell Sunday and died. Officials believe the cause of death was also hypothermia.
Snow is still falling from Texas to Alabama and even Florida.
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport had 8 inches of snow on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 2.7 inches set in 1963, CNN reported.
The area got much more snow this week than Anchorage, Alaska, has gotten all month. So far in Alaska, they’ve had only 1.9 inches of snow in January, The Washington Post reported.
The National Weather Service said that the weather that is hitting much of the country was “a generational winter storm event.”
It is so rare that many animals at the Houston Zoo are experiencing snow for the first time and are having a fun time doing so.
The 3-year-old elephant named Teddy fell into the snow and started vocalizing his enjoyment before running to other elephants to play, The Washington Post reported.
A river otter named Ravioli slid on his stomach in the snow and rubbed the flakes all over himself.
The wild dogs at the zoo started digging for bones that may have been covered by the snowfall.
Employees stayed at the zoo to make sure that animals were taken care of as both the temperatures and snow fell.
“Every animal has a care team dedicated to knowing what each species needs to ensure they are comfortable during cold weather conditions. All animal buildings, barns and nighthouses are built to withstand extreme weather conditions,” zoo officials told the Houston Chronicle.
Like any area preparing for the snow, they collected the staples needed. But it wasn’t milk, bread and eggs they had to find, they brought in extra meat and extra employees to ride out the storm, the Post reported.
Animals weren’t the only ones having fun in the rare snow blanket.
Nuns made snow angels at St. Catherine of Siena School near New Orleans. They then challenged Rev. Tim Hedrick to a snowball fight that has gone viral, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s a fun way to show that priests and sisters are humans, too, and they can have fun,” Hedrick said.
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