Winter storm spreads heavy snow, ice across US

A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path has spread rain, freezing rain and heavy snow further across the country, disrupting travel as roads in many states were left icy by the wintry mix and airlines canceled thousands of flights due to the weather.

A long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine remained under winter storm warnings and watches and the path of the storm stretched further from the central US into more of the South and Northeast early Thursday.

Heavy snow was expected from the southern Rockies to northern New England, while forecasters said heavy ice buildup was likely from Texas to Pennsylvania.

A mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow fell in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, while Michigan and Kansas saw additional snow. 

Along the warmer side of the storm, strong thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts and tornadoes were possible Thursday in parts of Mississippi and Alabama, the Storm Prediction Center said.

By midday Wednesday, some places had already reported snow totals exceeding or nearing a foot, including the central Illinois town of Lewistown with 36.6 centimeters and the northeastern Missouri city of Hannibal with 29.2 centimeters.

“And it’s still snowing across these areas,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

Central Illinois and northern Indiana appeared likely to receive the most snowfall, with expected totals ranging from 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) by the end of Thursday, Orrison said.

READ MORE: US braces for major storm packing heavy ice, snow

Snow had begun to taper off in Missouri by early Wednesday afternoon but much of the state could wind up with 8 inches to a foot (20 to 30 centimeters) of snow. Parts of Michigan also could snow totals around a foot by Thursday.

READ MORE: Federal offices, schools shut as snow storm batters US east

In Chicago, Elisha Waldman and his sons welcomed the opportunity to hit a sledding hill Wednesday morning, even as snow continued to fall.

“Cold and wet and wonderful, and getting cold and wet is part of the fun with the guys, and we get to go inside and have hot cocoa and warm up," Waldman said.

In Detroit's western suburbs, Tony Haley also found an advantage to the weather. He owns a landscaping and irrigation company that offers snow removal and salting services, but the early winter weeks offered few opportunities for business.

“This one here, we’re looking for a good two, three days of work," Haley said after clearing snow away from several businesses in Canton.

Early Thursday morning there were over 46,000 power outages being reported in Texas and over 17,000 in Oklahoma, according to poweroutage.us. 

Snowfall totals reached 56 centimeters in Colorado Springs and up to 25 centimeters in the Denver area, with more expected, prompting universities, state government offices and the Legislature to shut down.

READ MORE: Powerful winter storm hits US East Coast, disrupts thousands of flights