"Extreme Winter Storm: Live Updates and Snow Map for 17 States"

A map produced by the National Weather Service shows the various weather warnings in place across the U.S. as fierce winter storms are set to batter most of the Lower 48 this week, bringing freezing rain, damaging winds, and snow blizzards. An Arctic blast has brought subzero air temperatures and even colder wind chills, with some areas expected to hit temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius. States are bracing for heavy snowfall, with some areas likely to see up to 10 cm of snow, prompting emergency declarations and the opening of "warming centers." Experts fear that climate change is set to make extreme weather patterns worse, with a series of researchers and scientists predicting more thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and droughts.