A powerful winter storm has millions of people across at least 22 states from the Midwest to the Northeast on alert for a widespread threat of freezing rain.

A travel nightmare began to unfold across portions of Kansas and Missouri early Wednesday morning as the first in a pair of high-impact ice storms has millions of people across nearly two dozen states on alert due to the widespread impacts of freezing rain and other winter weather.

Forecasters are warning of possibly significant ice accumulations in several mid-Atlantic states that could cause widespread power outages and disrupt travel