US braces for ‘extremely dangerous’ winter storm

More than 200 million Americans are expected to face an unusually brutal winter storm starting Friday, with heavy snows and freezing rains forecast.

The storm is expected to sweep through much of the United States, leaving “extremely dangerous” conditions in its wake as it tracks eastwards from the High Plains and Rockies, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

It warned that the Arctic blast will bring sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, which “pose a life-threatening risk of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin”.