Deep freeze moves across US as 63 million people face bone-chilling temps and major snowfall

Up to 63 million Americans have been warned to brace for chaos amid mass school closures and state of emergency declarations as snowstorm Blair moves east.

Parts of Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas are already under a blizzard warning as Storm Blair is feared to be the coldest since 2011.

The worst-hit states have already suffered 150,000 power outages and more are predicted to follow.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told residents to brace for “dangerous conditions on our roadways,” noting that the storm “could cause significant power outages – just 24 hours before it gets dangerously cold.”

All public schools and government offices in Philadelphia will be closed Monday, Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office announced.

Districts in Indiana, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky also began announcing cancellations and delays Sunday afternoon.

Seven states have declared a full or partial state of emergency.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency for several southern counties, including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.

Many non-emergency federal workers in Washington DC have been told to stay home on Monday. All area Smithsonian museums will also be closed tomorrow, including the National Zoo.

The storm is expected to bring as much as 18 inches of snow to parts of the Central Plains, along with icy blizzards and dangerous winds as it makes its way into the mid-Atlantic with frigid temperatures.

Travel across the country has also come to a standstill as nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

Ice and snow have blanketed major highways in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists.

At least eight inches of snow is expected, along with wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri to the Garden State.

“For locations in this region experiencing the highest snow totals, it could be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said.

Missouri has already been hit with snow after the National Weather Service office in Kansas City warned residents to stay off the roads unless there is an emergency.

“You might not even be able to get there if you wanted to,” the agency said. ‘Stay home, stay warm and stay safe.’

At least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri last weekend, authorities said. Hundreds of car crashes were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was struck.

Virginia State Police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm entered the state on Sunday. In Charleston, West Virginia, where several inches of snow had fallen Sunday evening, authorities urged motorists to stay home.

In Indiana, snow completely covered parts of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as crews worked to keep up.

“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through it and within half an hour the roads are completely covered again,” said Sgt. said Todd Ringle.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear, who also declared a state of emergency, said government buildings would be closed Monday in an effort to keep people at home.

“We see way too many wrecks out there for people who don’t need to be on the road, so I just want to ask, stay inside,” he said.

About 10 inches of snow has fallen in Kansas so far, with final totals expected to top 16 inches for parts of the state and northern Missouri.

Louisville, Kentucky recorded 22.7 inches of snow on Sunday – a new record for the date that shattered the previous mark of 7 inches set in 1910.

Parts of Kansas City have received more than a foot of snow in the past 24 hours. An estimated 40 inches of snow is expected to fall before the storm passes.

“This will be one of the most historic and meaningful storms Kansas City has ever seen,” City Manager Brian Platt said.

The last time the area saw more than 10 inches of snow was in February 1993, Platt said.

“We started pre-treating our roads on Friday, 36 hours before any snow or ice, to make sure we were as prepared as possible,” he said, adding that the city “has been very aggressive with this ‘.

Frigid temperatures are expected to hit as far away as Florida, as a social media user shared incredible scenes of snow blanketing her neighborhood in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina – about 30 minutes outside of Raleigh.

‘Winter Storm Blair did not disappoint! 9 inches of snow and some freezing rain,” they wrote alongside videos of snow covering their car, icicles hanging from patio lights and their dog playing in the snow.

A Kentucky energy company also took to Facebook to notify and warn their customers about the treacherous storm.

“Winter Storm Blair Update: This storm system continues to move through our service area tonight, dropping heavy snow in Pikeville and Ashland and a thunderstorm in Hazard that has just turned back to heavy snow,” Kentucky Power wrote.

They posted an image of a light pole nearly covered in snow, while warning customers that many have already lost power, “several have already been restored.”

While the snowstorm is expected to be dangerous for travel and work, others across the country have taken advantage of the winter weather.