RALEIGH, N. C. (AP) -- Four homes blasted by icy winds on an eroding North Carolina island collapsed into the ocean and Florida farmers anxiously waited for frozen plants to thaw Monday as people across the eastern half of the United States coped with more than a week of sub-freezing weather.

At the time of writing Thursday, the number of counties and states under Winter Storm Watches was stunning. I do not recall seeing a winter storm footprint this massive since the "Storm of the Century" in 1993, and candidly, many of the counties in the Mid-Atlantic region have not been included yet.