With temperatures as low as 15°F, it seems unusual that parts of the south saw sleet and freezing rain instead of snow on Monday. Wintry precipitation isn't always determined by the temperature at the ground. Here's an explainer on how sleet and freezing rain can turn a beautiful snowfall into an icy death match.

A disruptive ice storm is likely going to unfold across parts of North Carolina and Virginia tonight as a fast-moving disturbance skirts the coast and drops freezing rain. The system threatens to produce significant accretions of ice along I-95 from Florence, S.C. to Richmond, Virginia, making travel impossible at times.