Bitter cold spreads across much of the US as Texas and the South prepare for rare winter storm

Frigid temperatures engulfed Texas and other parts of the South on Monday ahead of a rare winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and disruptive ice accumulations to the region into Wednesday, sending residents scurrying to insulate pipes, check heating systems and stock emergency kits.

In Texas, both William P. Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston announced Sunday night that flight operations would be suspended Tuesday in anticipation of hazardous conditions.

Meanwhile, people in the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine were experiencing bitterly cold temperatures Monday morning as an Arctic air mass caused temperatures to plunge well below normal values with dangerously cold wind chills, while the East Coast contends with a thick blanket of snow.

Winter storm warnings stretched from Texas to Florida on Monday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected in the region into Wednesday. Heavy lake-effect snow…