More than 220 million people are under winter storm threat

More than 220 million people are under alert for dangerous cold that also is expected to open the door to a potentially historic winter storm, which could dump snow in several states.

Meanwhile, the governors of Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi declared a state of emergency and Texas officials asked agencies to manage and mobilize resources in the face of the snow threat.

The Office of Governor Jeff Landry explained that the National Weather Service issued cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings for Louisiana through Thursday, Jan. 23. He highlighted that the state of emergency allows for direct state assistance to support operational measures.

"Keeping Louisianans safe is our top priority. I am declaring a state of emergency for the incoming winter storm currently forecasted to impact Louisiana, and I’m encouraging everyone to stay alert, monitor the weather forecast, and prepare now for any potential impacts," Governor Landry said in a statement.

Similarly, it was learned that authorities asked people in these states to stay off the roads, run a trickle of water through taps to prevent pipes from freezing, check smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries and refrain from using stoves to heat homes.

"Most of us haven’t experienced this combination of bitter cold and significant snow ever in our lifetime," Louisiana climatologist Jay Grymes told CNN .

The situation comes after a blast of brutally cold air caused temperatures to drop 20 to 30 degrees below normal from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.