Massive winter storm blankets central US
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A family digs snow out of their driveway during a blizzard in Overland Park, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A group of people brave the cold and windy weather as they play soccer at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Feb 21, 2013. A massive winter storm blanketed much of the central US Thursday and looked set to keep dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain for days as it makes its way slowly towards the east coast. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Wichita Police work an accident on west Kellogg during the snow-packed morning commute in Wichita, Kansas on Feb 20, 2013. Hundreds of snow plows and salt spreaders took to the highways of the nation's heartland Wednesday, preparing for a winter storm that could dump up to a foot of snow in some regions and bring dangerous freezing rain and sleet to others. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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Tom McReynolds clears snow from a neigbors' house in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. Kansas was the epicenter of the winter storm, with parts of Wichita buried under 13 inches of still-falling snow, but winter storm warnings stretched eastern Colorado through Illinois. -- PHOTO: AP
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A Delta aircraft is de-iced before takeoff at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. Blinding snow, at times accompanied by thunder and lightning, bombarded much of the nation's midsection Thursday, causing whiteout conditions, making major roadways all but impassable and shutting down schools and state legislatures. Freezing rain and sleet were forecast for southern Missouri, southern Illinois and Arkansas. St. Louis was expected to get all of the above , a treacherous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. -- PHOTO: AP
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A pedestrian walks along the sidewalk in the Country Club Plaza shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. The Missouri Department of Transportation said Interstate 44 near Springfield was completely covered with ice Thursday morning. Traffic was moving very slow and the DOT urged drivers to use extreme caution or stay home. St. Louis-area road crews were out in full force early Thursday, even though it was dry. The region was expecting a volatile mix of snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain by midday and crews were hoping to lay down enough salt to keep at least the major roadways moving. -- PHOTO: AP
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Sand for vehicles is sold at a gas station near Interstate 80 in preparation for snowfall on Feb 22, 2013 in Tiffin, Iowa. Dozens of states and millions of residents are threatened by the winter storm that's crossing the nation. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A Lenexa Police vehicle stops to aid motorists stuck on a ramp to I-35 in Lenexa, Kansas, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. The Kansas Turnpike Authority encouraged drivers to stay off the turnpike entirely; it runs from Oklahoma to Kansas City. There was virtually zero visibility on the turnpike early Thursday. An I-70 and other major highways in Kansas were snowpacked and icy, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback closed executive offices, except for essential personnel. He urged residents to have an extra cup of coffee, get out a board game and play with their children. -- PHOTO: AP
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Stalled vehicles are seen during a blizzard as traffic comes to a standstill on the I-635 in Kansas City, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A man stands next to his car that is stuck in the snow during a blizzard in Kansas City, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a winter storm battering the US midwest states on Feb 21, 2013. Winter storm warnings were issued from Colorado through Illinois, with as much as 30.4cm of snow expected in several areas. Colorado and western Kansas were getting heavy snowby midday on Feb 20. Officials in Oklahoma said roads covered with a slushy mix of snow and ice caused a crash that killed an 18-year-old man. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A person walks on top of a parking garage as a plow drives on a street below as a steady snow falls on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013, in St. Louis. A massive winter storm blanketed much of the central United States (US) on Thursday, dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, and even prompting tornado warnings with its high winds. -- PHOTO: AP
A family digs snow out of their driveway during a blizzard in Overland Park, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A group of people brave the cold and windy weather as they play soccer at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Feb 21, 2013. A massive winter storm blanketed much of the central US Thursday and looked set to keep dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain for days as it makes its way slowly towards the east coast. -- PHOTO: AFP
Wichita Police work an accident on west Kellogg during the snow-packed morning commute in Wichita, Kansas on Feb 20, 2013. Hundreds of snow plows and salt spreaders took to the highways of the nation's heartland Wednesday, preparing for a winter storm that could dump up to a foot of snow in some regions and bring dangerous freezing rain and sleet to others. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
Tom McReynolds clears snow from a neigbors' house in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. Kansas was the epicenter of the winter storm, with parts of Wichita buried under 13 inches of still-falling snow, but winter storm warnings stretched eastern Colorado through Illinois. -- PHOTO: AP
A Delta aircraft is de-iced before takeoff at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. Blinding snow, at times accompanied by thunder and lightning, bombarded much of the nation's midsection Thursday, causing whiteout conditions, making major roadways all but impassable and shutting down schools and state legislatures. Freezing rain and sleet were forecast for southern Missouri, southern Illinois and Arkansas. St. Louis was expected to get all of the above , a treacherous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. -- PHOTO: AP
A pedestrian walks along the sidewalk in the Country Club Plaza shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. The Missouri Department of Transportation said Interstate 44 near Springfield was completely covered with ice Thursday morning. Traffic was moving very slow and the DOT urged drivers to use extreme caution or stay home. St. Louis-area road crews were out in full force early Thursday, even though it was dry. The region was expecting a volatile mix of snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain by midday and crews were hoping to lay down enough salt to keep at least the major roadways moving. -- PHOTO: AP
Sand for vehicles is sold at a gas station near Interstate 80 in preparation for snowfall on Feb 22, 2013 in Tiffin, Iowa. Dozens of states and millions of residents are threatened by the winter storm that's crossing the nation. -- PHOTO: AFP
A Lenexa Police vehicle stops to aid motorists stuck on a ramp to I-35 in Lenexa, Kansas, on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013. The Kansas Turnpike Authority encouraged drivers to stay off the turnpike entirely; it runs from Oklahoma to Kansas City. There was virtually zero visibility on the turnpike early Thursday. An I-70 and other major highways in Kansas were snowpacked and icy, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback closed executive offices, except for essential personnel. He urged residents to have an extra cup of coffee, get out a board game and play with their children. -- PHOTO: AP
Stalled vehicles are seen during a blizzard as traffic comes to a standstill on the I-635 in Kansas City, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A man stands next to his car that is stuck in the snow during a blizzard in Kansas City, Kansas, on Feb 21, 2013. A major winter storm pounded the US Great Plains on Thursday creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel, and cutting off power to some communities. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a winter storm battering the US midwest states on Feb 21, 2013. Winter storm warnings were issued from Colorado through Illinois, with as much as 30.4cm of snow expected in several areas. Colorado and western Kansas were getting heavy snowby midday on Feb 20. Officials in Oklahoma said roads covered with a slushy mix of snow and ice caused a crash that killed an 18-year-old man. -- PHOTO: AFP
A person walks on top of a parking garage as a plow drives on a street below as a steady snow falls on Thursday, Feb 21, 2013, in St. Louis. A massive winter storm blanketed much of the central United States (US) on Thursday, dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, and even prompting tornado warnings with its high winds. -- PHOTO: AP
CHICAGO (AFP) - A massive winter storm blanketed much of the central United States (US) on Thursday, dumping heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, and even prompting tornado warnings with its high winds.
Tens of millions of people in 24 states were expected to be affected by the storm before it peters out when it reaches the Great Lakes on Friday or Saturday.
But that won't bring clear skies. The storm was pulling a second system up from the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to smother parts of the East Coast with up to 60cm of snow on Saturday and Sunday.
The National Weather Service said as much as 43cm of snow had fallen in parts of Colorado and Kansas by Thursday afternoon.
