US Weather forecast snow storm: A major winter storm started wreaking havoc in many parts of America on Saturday and there was a danger of power outages and dangerous ice accumulation on the roads for several days. About 180 million people, i.e. more than 40 percent of America’s population, have been warned to stay at home. There is a snow storm alert from New Mexico to New England. Credit-AP)

The Texas Department of Transportation posted photos of snow-covered highways north of Dallas. Snow and sleet that hit North Texas overnight moved toward the central part of the state on Saturday. The transport agency posted the pictures and said that the situation is like this here. Roads and bridges were covered in ice in one-third of Mississippi’s counties, said Scott Simmons, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Credit-AP)

There was sleet and snow in Little Rock, Arkansas Saturday morning. Although snow falls here every year, but in the last 20 years, these states have seen snow storms only three times and they were most worried about snow. Meteorologists say that the damage in snow affected areas can be like a storm. (Credit- Reuters)

The effect of such dangerous cold and strong winds will last till Monday. The next few nights will see a drop in the temperature and the wind chill may go up to minus 12 Fahrenheit (minus 24 Celsius). More than 95,000 power outages were reported across the country Saturday morning, including 36,000 in Texas and 10,000 in Virginia. Credit-AP)

Snow and sleet continued to fall in Oklahoma. Governors of 14 to 18 states issued weather alerts, declared emergencies or advised people to stay at home. According to the Meteorological Department, after causing devastation in the south, the storm will move towards the north-east, and according to the Meteorological Department, about a foot of snow will fall from Washington to New York and Boston. Temperatures in rural parts of New York reached minus 29 Fahrenheit (minus 34 Celsius). Due to cold and snow, power companies are prepared for cuts, because snow covered trees and lines can fall even after the storm. (Credit- Reuters)

The government has kept ready about 30 search and rescue teams. Authorities have deployed more than 7 million food packets, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators to the area where the storm is expected to make landfall, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. President Donald Trump said on social media on Friday that his government is working with state and local officials and FEMA is fully prepared. Nine states have sought an emergency declaration, which could provide federal resources. (Credit- Reuters)

Wind chills in the Midwest reached minus 40 Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), which can cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes. The temperature in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, was minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius) on Saturday morning, the coldest in the last 30 years. In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was minus 41.

Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or postponed. School superintendents of Philadelphia and Houston announced school closures on Monday. Some universities in the South also canceled classes Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the main campus of the University of Mississippi. (Credit-AP)

Trump approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia on Friday, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were pending as of Saturday morning. It will take time for the snow to melt after the storm passes. Ice can weigh hundreds of pounds on power lines and branches, causing them to break, especially if there are strong winds. (Credit- Reuters)