More than 60 million United States (U.S.) citizens are facing a winter storm that could bring the heaviest snowfall and coldest temperatures in the last decade.
A state of emergency has so far been declared in seven states – Kansas, one of the hardest-hit areas, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, and parts of New Jersey.
Meteorologists say the extreme weather is caused by a polar vortex – a region of cold air circulating around the Arctic – bringing frigid conditions to the central U.S.
Thousands of flights have already been delayed or canceled, many roads are blocked, and schools are closed due to the storm.
