Forecasters have issued a winter storm warning for a big part of the East Coast, after some residents of the West and Midwest were blasted by snow and ice storms earlier this week.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic, temperatures are plunging as a band of rain, ice, and snow moves across the country.

Even the Southwest was hit. Both schools and interstates shut down in Roswell, N.M., where snowflakes put some people in a holiday mood.

"I thought it was amazing," one New Mexico man said. "I love the snow."
 
"Normally, we don't have snow until January or February so this is a great surprise," another resident said. "It makes everybody get excited about Christmas and feel like it's winter finally."

In Albuquerque, N.M., residents shivered in temperatures that were more than 30 degrees below normal.

"Definitely below freezing, I know that," one Albuquerque resident remarked.

"I need another sweater or jacket," another resident said.

Snow fell on the mountains around Phoenix, and drought-plagued Texans finally got some moisture.

"I just had to go for a walk. It's so beautiful out here," one California woman observed.

While the icy weather may be beautiful, it can also be treacherous -- like the black ice on El Paso, Texas, roads and the crash-inducing snowpack in Springfield, Mo.

In Washington state's Cascade Mountains, four-wheel Jeep drivers became good Samaritans.

"These guys came up with the Jeeps, which was a blessing, and pulled us out," said one driver who had been stranded.

East Coast residents have enjoyed balmy temperatures for much of November and December. 

But that is about to change as the wintry weather that has plagued the West bears down on states from the mid-Atlantic to New England.