A WINTER storm is set to blast 2,000 miles across the US hitting up to 90 million people in 21 states.
Forecasters say the bad weather could mean ice and 20 inches of snow as airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights on Wednesday.
Governors across American urged residents to stay off the roads with schools closed as the bad weather hit.
Snow is only expected to intensify throughout the day in many regions with the south forecast to see the worst of the bad weather.
The blast of frigid weather began arriving Tuesday night and put states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches.
By Wednesday Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan were being blasted by freezing rain, sleet and snow.
More than a foot of snow was possible in parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Michigan, according to forecasters.
It comes just days after a storm which brought blizzard conditions to many parts of the East Coast.
Meteorologist Marty Rausch said: “It will be a very messy system and will make travel very difficult.”
CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen added: “Heavy snow will begin in the Rockies spreading across the Midwest on Tuesday night through Wednesday, where some areas could see 15 to 20 inches of snow.”
His colleague Jennifer Gray said the Midwest “could see…the biggest snow in a century for some.”
The storm may extended as far south as Texas.
“Dangerous wind chills as low as 5 below zero are forecast Thursday and Friday mornings,” the Dallas Fort Worth weather service said.
It added: “Those that see significant ice accumulation would likely not rise above freezing until Sunday.”
The Lone Star state was hit by a freeze last year which resulted in one of the worst blackouts in U.S. history after the power grid buckled.
Southwest Airlines announced on Tuesday it would suspend all of its flight operations at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Wednesday and on Thursday at its Dallas Love Field hub.
Airports in Chicago, Kansas City and Detroit canceled more flights than usual.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declared a state of emergency as school districts and universities shifted classes to online or canceled them entirely.
Illinois lawmakers canceled their three scheduled days of session this week as the central part of the state prepares for heavy snow, ice and high wind gusts in the region.
In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt has declared a statewide state of emergency as the winter storm approached that would remain in effect for seven days.
The National Weather Service said up to 12 inches of snow was expected by Thursday morning in parts of the Rockies and Midwest.
Heavy ice is forecast from Texas through the Ohio Valley.
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