UNITED STATES – Winter Storm Octavia has covered much of the U.S. South and East Coast with snow and ice, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.

Octavia also caused the federal government and local governments in the District of Columbia to close for the first time this winter, according to the Wall Street Journal.

States of emergency have been declared in Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington D.C. after parts of the South received more than a foot of snow and icy roads caused at least eight traffic deaths.

As of 5:29 pm Eastern time yesterday, the Weather Channel placed snowfall totals at:

• Between 3 – 7 inches for parts of the Northeast
• Between 5 – 18 inches for parts of the South
• Between 8 – 13 inches for parts of the Midwest

Other states, including Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama, reported up to half of inch of ice yesterday as well as snow totals.

According to FlightAware, more than 1,800 flights were cancelled yesterday at airports from Nashville, Tennessee to the nation’s capital yesterday as a result of the storm.

Temperatures across the eastern half of the United States have been well below average. Eric Horst, Director of the Weather Information Center at Millersville University in central Pennsylvania, stated that his community set three new records for low temperatures on Monday.

An even colder blast of Arctic air is forecast to come through the Midwest, Southwest, Atlantic states and Northeast today, sending temperatures even lower through Friday, according to KTLA.

The National Weather Service issued a forecast that said short snow squalls might appear on today, bringing even more snow along with the below freezing temperatures.

Keep it tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest on this developing weather system.