A winter storm had blanketed much of Arkansas in snow by Thursday evening while leaving residents in southern parts of the state coping with a mix of ice and rain.

Most of the United States is being assailed with extreme winter weather this week as Arctic air blasts south from Canada, snow tracks up the Northeast coast and a potentially crippling winter storm takes aim at the South.

A winter storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service on Monday at 3:53 a.m. valid from Tuesday 6 a.m. until Wednesday 6 a.m. for Choctaw, Washington, Clarke, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler,