Scenes from an America hit by Brutal Winter Cold

When does it end?

A blast of arctic air continued to batter much of the United States on Tuesday, testing the South and even the hardiest Northeast.

A rare winter storm swept across the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, prompting blizzard warnings for the first time in parts of Texas and Louisiana. Snow can last for days from Houston to Tallahassee, Fla., because of a major piece of equipment largely lacking in the region: snow plows.

The brutal cold – with temperatures falling well below normal for January and bringing potentially dangerous conditions when combined with winds – will continue to plague large parts of the country for the next week.

The gloomy weather forecast forced many indoors. For others, the dogs still had to be walked. Here are scenes from across the country bracing for the cold.