The South is bracing for a major winter storm, most of the nation remains gripped by extreme cold, and high winds could fan flames in California.

More than 220 million people across the United States are facing dangerous cold that will also open the door for a potentially historic and crippling winter storm that could deliver snow as far south as Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

A generational winter storm sweeping across the Gulf Coast brought near-record snow, sleet and pipe-bursting temperatures to areas unaccustomed to such weather, prompting closures and emergency declarations across the region.