In 49 states, it's below freezing in at least one spot

WASHINGTON -- The calendar says it's more than a month until the official start of winter, but Mother Nature said differently Tuesday morning.

Every state in the Union except Hawaii had a reporting station somewhere in the state below freezing.

That includes Florida, where it was in the upper 20s in the Panhandle and freeze warnings were in effect.

This is highly unusual for this time of year and is much more reminiscent of a pattern forecasters would expect to see in January or February, not November.

The Arctic air pouring over the relatively warm Great Lakes waters is producing extreme lake-effect snows.

Some areas in Erie County, Pennsylvania, have already seen 3 feet of snow, and areas south of Buffalo, New York, are approaching 2 feet.

There have been reports of thunder snow, where thunder and lightning occur with a snowstorm.

Snowfall rates have approached 5 inches per hour in some of the heavier bands, and snowfall of more than 3 feet is likely in some of those areas into Tuesday night.

Yet another system will bring even more snow from Wednesday into Thursday.

Over half the country -- 50.2% -- had snow on the ground Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.