Massive winter storm to clobber US from Plains to East Coast

Millions of Americans, stretching from the Plains to the East Coast, faced the threat of blizzards, heavy snow, dangerous ice, and freezing rain through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. In anticipation of the winter storm, governors in Kentucky and Virginia declared states of emergency.

"The storm is still taking shape," meteorologist Rich Bann of the NWS Weather Prediction Center stated on Saturday evening. "But this thing has multiple hazards, from heavy snow in the Plains to significant icing that will impact roads further south."

More than 60 million people across the U.S. were under winter weather warnings, watches, or advisories over the weekend. The storm's path stretches eastward from Nebraska and Kansas, through Ohio, Indiana, southwestern Pennsylvania, and northwestern Virginia, potentially bringing anywhere from 1 inch (2.54 cm) to 1 foot (30 cm) of snow. Additionally, ice could cause power lines to break, leading to widespread outages.

A mix of freezing rain and ice is expected to hit southern Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee on Sunday, making roads hazardous and potentially bringing down power lines. Bann warned, "It'll be nearly impossible to drive in some areas."

The Kansas City International Airport in Missouri temporarily closed on Saturday afternoon due to rapid ice accumulation, as officials posted updates on social media.

While the storm is expected to move past the East Coast and into the Atlantic Ocean by late Monday, Bann added that a new wave of Arctic air will bring extremely cold temperatures to the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. by mid-week.