BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The National Weather Service says a cold snap has set new records in the Deep South.
The overnight temperature dropped to 18 degrees (-8 Celsius) in Birmingham, Alabama, early Wednesday, breaking the previous low record of 22 degrees (-6 Celsius) set in 1911. The weather service says more than 100 other sites in Alabama also reached historic lows, including Hamilton and Florence at 13 degrees (-11 Celsius).
The weather service says Greenville, Mississippi, dropped to 17 degrees (-8 Celsius), breaking a record of 23 degrees (-5 Celsius) set 108 years ago.
The temperature dropped below freezing as far south as the Gulf Coast. The weather service says that resulted in "sea smoke" in some places, or low clouds that formed over coastal waters as chilly air moved over warmer water.