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,

On Monday at 1:26 p.m. the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning valid from Tuesday noon until Wednesday 6 a.m. for Coffee, Dale, Henry, Geneva and Houston counties.

An arctic air mass sprawling across the eastern, central and parts of the western U.S. on Monday will channel temperatures 20-30 degrees below already historically cold January averages and was poised to slam parts of the South with a disruptive winter storm.

Snow and ice may bring major travel disruptions and power outages in the South starting Monday evening, forecasters warned.