A winter storm that spread ice and snow from Mississippi to Maine is leaving behind cold so bitter that businesses and schools are closing in the South because the region still hasn’t thawed.
Four deaths have blamed on the storm, which dropped more than a foot of snow in southern New England, caused a former governor to fall on his icy driveway in Mississippi and could bring the first below-zero weather to parts of North Carolina in more than 20 years.
Meanwhile, the West Coast is dealing with the next storm, which brought the potential of a crippling ice storm to western Oregon and heavy rain to California mountains used to seeing snow this time of year. Forecasters warned of possible mudslides and the worst flooding in more than a decade.

People walk through the Commonwealth Avenue Mall during a winter storm in Boston on Jan. 7, 2017. A storm that wreaked havoc along the East Coast arrived in southern New England on Saturday, bringing blizzard conditions to some areas and making travel treacherous throughout the region. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer