Wildfires are tearing across the Los Angeles area with devastating force after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
A huge swath of the U.S. is being blasted by ice, snow and wind, as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend is keeping an area stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the coast of Maine in its frigid grip.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in effect for parts of the region as snow, freezing rain and gusty winds cause travel issues across the mountains and foothills.