A winter storm was sweeping across a wide swath of the South on Friday. Atlanta’s airport issued a ground stop after a plane was evacuated onto a snowy runway.

Hazardous snow, sleet and freezing rain disrupted travel plans and caused power outages in the Mid-Atlantic region, as bitter cold set in.

An extraordinary drought has drained Ecuador’s rivers and reservoirs, leading to power outages of up to 14 hours. Some fear this is the beginning of a larger global crisis.

Strong storms spawned tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday and dumped heavy rain on the Carolinas on Sunday.