Frigid temperatures engulfed the South on Monday ahead of a winter storm that's expected to spread heavy snow and disruptive ice around a region from Texas to north Florida that rarely sees such weather,

Most of the United States is being assailed with extreme winter weather this week as Arctic air blasts south from Canada, snow tracks up the Northeast coast and a potentially crippling winter storm takes aim at the South.

Snow and sleet started falling in Texas as officials begin to close schools and airports. Snow and ice could bring major travel disruptions and power outages from Texas to Florida.

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.

The FOX 5 Storm Team is declaring Tuesday a Storm Alert Day for the threat of snow in metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Snow and ice will spread through the South early this week, including near the Gulf Coast where wintry weather is rare. An extreme cold warning has been issued for parts of north Georgia until 12 p.m. Monday.

Most cities in the region don't have snowplows. Louisiana had 400,000 pounds of salt ready to spread over roads and bridges in preparation for the icy conditions.

Heavy snow is expected to blanket large portions of the Eastern U.S. while much of the country will endure dangerously cold temperatures in the coming days.

Residents across the country are bracing for dangerously low temperatures while the East Coast contends with a thick blanket of snow.

Winter storm Enzo is expected to bring severe travel disruptions and unusually cold weather to the far southeast on Monday and Tuesday.

Snow and ice will spread through the South early this week, including near the Gulf Coast where wintry weather is rare.