(AP) – The winter storm spreading snow, sleet and freezing rain across the southern United States has broken records, treating the region to unaccustomed perils and seasonal joy. From Texas through the Deep South, down into Florida and to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the snow and ice made for dangerous driving and inventive sledding on Wednesday. At least three cold-weather deaths have been reported. The Arctic air also plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze, grounding hundreds of flights. But while the United States shivers, the world as a whole is breaking heat records. It’s been the warmest winter yet in data tracked since 1940.