Tens of millions of Americans awoke on Jan. 22 to some form of winter weather alert, as a winter storm takes shape in the southwestern U.S. and threatens to spread huge totals of snow and freezing rai...

Preparations are already underway for this weekend's winter storm, including in New Jersey, where some officials have reported a shortage of salt.

At hardware stores throughout the area, shoppers are quickly visiting stocked shelves for affordable ways to protect their homes, vehicles and families — and to stay safe.