A catastrophic, record-breaking ice storm engulfed the southeastern United States starting on Wednesday and slowly creeping its way north by Thursday morning. Thousands of residents in the South woke up this morning to widespread blackouts, inch-thick ice and unprecedented snowfall.
See also: Why the Ice Storm in the South Is Such a Big Deal
Overnight, a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow continued across the Southeast and spread into the Mid-Atlantic. Bands of heavy snow that caused an Atlanta-style traffic nightmare in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., are expected to continued while making a beeline for Washington, D.C. Today, the northeast faces deep snow and freezing temps.
Here's what residents across the East Coast saw when they walked out their doors this morning.
The skyline is seen from Railroad Park as a winter storm drops several inches of snow and ice, early Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala.
Pedestrians maneuver a stairway outside the Dean E. Smith Center at the University of North Carolina prior to a basketball game between North Carolina and Duke in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Wednesday and into Thursday covering most of North Carolina.
The skyline is seen through ice-covered trees along 20th Street as a winter storm drops several inches of snow and ice, early Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala.
Ice forms on a tree on the empty streets of Historic Norcross Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, in Norcross, Ga. The South is encased in ice, snow and freezing rain from a "catastrophic" ice storm.
A bike covered with snow leans against a lamp post as a winter storm drops several inches of snow and ice, early Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala.
Ice-covered trees line the outside of Regions Park stadium as a winter storm drops several inches of snow and ice, early Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala.