The US faces a tough winter storm. Twenty-six states from Texas to Massachusetts have storm warnings from the National Weather Service. Snow and freezing rain started in north Texas and Oklahoma on Friday and spread eastwards. By Sunday, many central and eastern states saw heavy snow or ice. In Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky, about 2.5cm of ice covered cars and roads. New York and Philadelphia got 30-50cm of snow. Over 800,000 households lost power as of Sunday night. Seven deaths are linked to the cold weather. Extreme cold, with temperatures as low as -20°C in Texas, is spreading south. Weather experts warn of “exploding” trees caused by the rapid freezing of water and sap inside trunks, creating loud cracks. In Europe, Portugal’s weather agency named a new storm, Joseph. It follows Storm Ingrid, which already brought strong winds, rain, and snow. Storm Joseph threatens heavy rainfall up to 20cm or more by Friday, mainly in Portugal and northwest Spain. Flooding is a big risk there.