Heavy snow, ice and brutal cold are expected to make this winter storm a potentially life-threatening weather event, stretching across two-thirds of the U.S.

A winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service for parts of northern California this holiday weekend.

Skiers had a brief window of fair weather before what officials called the most significant storms since the holidays.

Highs today will stay below average, reaching only the mid-40s under sunny skies. Freezing temperatures return tonight, so be sure to protect exposed pipes by opening

The overall weather pattern this weekend will feel more like the middle of March than the middle of February. Monday will be the warmest day for most of the area. The record high on Monday in Wausau is 51°, set back in 1981.

Chances of a winter storm bringing snow and rain to Connecticut Sunday into Monday have decreased.

Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Clayton counties are among those included in an expanded Winter Storm Watch on Thursday.

A widespread winter system known as Winter Storm Fern is expected to move from Texas toward the Northeast on Jan. 24–25, bringing snow and ice along its path. AccuWeather estimates the storm could impact more than 150 million people across more than two dozen states.

Even as the harshest cold begins to fade from the Northeast this week, AccuWeather forecasters warn that the stormy pattern is not quite finished.