Cross-country storms bring extreme weather from California to Maine

Twenty-four states, from California to Maine, are on alert for extreme cold, freezing rain, heavy snow and avalanche danger on Tuesday.

Western storms, which brought snow to parts of California and the West are headed east, bringing an icy mix, severe weather and a tornado threat to the South and Northeast.

A few more storms will move through the West over the next few days, bringing more heavy snow for the mountains where an avalanche warning has been issued from California to Colorado. Locally, there could be an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow.

In southern California, 2 to 3 additional inches of rain are possible, which could cause minor flooding.

In the Northeast, as one storm move out, another will move in, with more icy roads forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Blizzard conditions raged the Midwest on Monday from the Dakotas into Minnesota, where winds gusted near 50 miles per hour and almost 2 feet of snow fell.

Between 3 to 6 inches of snow are expected in the Midwest, with up to 4 inches possible in the Northeast over the next few days.

From Chicago to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities, a winter weather advisory has been issued where a mix of freezing rain and snow is expected on Tuesday. Roads could become very slick.

In the South, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are under a threat for severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and a few tornadoes on Wednesday.

The northern half of the country is expecting an arctic outbreak, with some of the coldest arctic air so far this season. The air will move from the northern Rockies into the Upper Midwest.

Wind chills in parts of Montana and the Dakotas have dropped close to 30 to 50 degrees below zero. This air mass will move east into the western Great Lakes and the upper Midwest. The actual temperature is forecast to be well below zero for places like Minneapolis.

As the new year begins, afternoon temperatures will be well below zero in Fargo, North Dakota, and minus 2 in Minneapolis. Temperatures in Denver and Kansas City, Missouri, will also be below freezing.