The northeastern US is set to be blasted with the with most extreme cold on Earth later this month, according to shocking new forecasts.

ATLANTA — December 1 is the first day of meteorological winter, and right on cue extreme cold and a powerful winter storm are poised to wreak havoc in the eastern half of the US. Over 70 million Americans are currently under weather advisories.

Winter weather alerts are expanding as a major winter storm begins to bring impacts to the Northern Plains on Friday before shifting into the Midwest, where a foot of snow is forecast in some places.

Severe winter storm conditions brought bands of heavy snow to west central Minnesota on Tuesday, November 25, as rainfall transitioned to snow.Carol Bauer captured the extreme whiteout conditions in the border town of Graceville,

It was one of the nation's most extreme, anomalous and costly storms. Here's what made this storm 75 years ago both damaging and unique.