An arctic blast is about to pummel most of the country. Track temperature and precipitation in New York

An ongoing Arctic blast enveloping much of the US will set the stage for impactful snow and ice to fall in parts of the South for the first time this winter as a new storm tracks through the region.

The South storm will be the fourth in the last two weeks to threaten major impacts to areas east of the Rockies as a frenetic start to 2024 shows no signs of stopping.

Damaging ice and wind combined with deadly results in Oregon Saturday. On Sunday, serious lake-effect snow was ongoing in Buffalo, New York; blinding snow squalls were possible across the Northeast; and strong winds were still kicking up snow and affecting travel in the Midwest.

But in the warmer South, it’s been all tornadoes and severe thunderstorms with past storms. That’s all set to change as the arctic chill settles over the region and much of the country.

More than 75% of the US population will experience temperatures below freezing over the next seven days. Just through Tuesday, more than 250 daily cold temperature records could be broken from Oregon to Mississippi.

Here’s how recent weather data compares to data from the last century in New York.