A massive storm system ripped through the southern United States Wednesday, with rare January tornadoes killing two people.
A huge tornado tore through the town of Adairsville, Georgia, north of Atlanta, smashing homes and businesses and tearing up trees and power lines.
Overturned cars forced police to shut down part of a major highway. At least one person was killed in Georgia. Another storm-related death was reported in Tennessee.
Elsewhere, spring-like weather will give way for a brutal return of winter in the Midwest and East.
It was 17 degrees Celsius in Chicago Tuesday, and just 4 degrees Wednesday. The East Coast can also expect cold temperatures the rest of the week after two days of balmy weather.
Meteorologists blame the extreme weather on the jet stream which kept Arctic cold well to the north while pulling up warm air from the Gulf of Mexico.