Large swaths of the United States, from Kansas to New Jersey, were hit by a massive winter storm that brought snow, ice, wind and Arctic-like temperatures. 

More than a dozen states, covering some 60 million people, were under severe storm warnings, advisories or watches on Sunday night into Monday.

Governors in several states, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Virginia, declared states of emergency.

"Areas between central Kansas and Indiana, especially along and north of Interstate 70, are likely to experience heavy snowfall, with a high chance (60-90%) of at least 8 inches [20 centimeters] of snow," representing the "heaviest snowfall in a decade," the National Weather Service (NWS) posted on X.

Blizzard conditions brought gusts of wind of up to 45 mph (72.42 kph) in Kansas and Missouri while the NWS issued New Jersey with storm warnings for Monday and Tuesday.

'Tornado watch' for some states

Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, meanwhile, were on "tornado watch," the NWS said, having earlier issued the same warning for Mississippi.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear urged residents to "please stay home" after reporting multiple vehicle crashes.

In Virginia, police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm entered the state Sunday. A handful of injuries were reported, but no fatalities.

Police in Missouri said they had responded to almost 600 stranded drivers and 285 crashes.

Air traffic monitoring site FlightAware showed almost 2,200 flight cancellations and over 25,000 delays.

While the storm was on course to head offshore, icy temperatures are expected to linger until Tuesday. Many schools have decided to remain closed on Monday, including public schools in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington and Philadelphia.

Washington DC, however, is located in the storm's path and was expecting severe weather on Monday, just as the new Congress is set to meet to officially confirm Donald Trump's electoral victory.

jsi/ab (AP, Reuters, AFP)