A rare southeastern winter storm barreled across the Carolinas early Wednesday, threatening as much as six inches of snow in coastal communities while frigid air left the Gulf Coast and other parts of the region bracing for icy, hazardous roads.

The deadly storm, which has killed at least 10 people, was fueled by a whirling mass of cold air originating from the Arctic. It is expected to leave much of the South in the low-teens or single-digit degrees through Wednesday night.

In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein warned residents in the eastern part of the state to avoid all travel on the roads because they were “the most dangerous place to be in a winter storm like this.”

In Charleston, S.C., at least 15 snowplows were preparing to snake through streets and clear them.

And along the Georgia-Florida border, the possibility of ice accumulation — as much as a quarter of an inch — further threatened road conditions.

“Along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, it’s pretty darn cold for what’s considered to be normal,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. And that intense snowfall, he added, could refreeze and make roads dangerous.