Thursday's forecast: Cold as ice

More bitterly cold weather is forecast Thursday for most of the north-central U.S. Temperatures will remain frigid, with dangerously low wind chills.

An ice storm is expected Thursday and Thursday night from Texas to the Ohio Valley, with significant amounts of freezing rain and sleet. Snow is likely to the north of where the ice accumulates.

Rain is forecast in parts of the South and Northeast. The West will be cold but mostly dry, except for mountain snow in New Mexico.

Weather history for Dec. 5: In 1941, Enosburg Falls, Vt., hit 72 degrees, a state record high for December. In 1953, a killer tornado ravaged Vicksburg, Miss., leaving: 38 dead and 270 injured. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Mississippi history and the deadliest December tornado on record.

In 2003, a winter storm dumped 14 inches of snow on New York City.