A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path has brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the central US as airlines canceled thousands of flights, officials urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses.

The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving on Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. On Wednesday morning, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow.

By noon on Wednesday, some places had already reported snow totals exceeding or nearing a foot, including the central Illinois town of Lewistown with 14.4 inches (36.6cm) and the northeastern Missouri city of Hannibal with 11.5 inches (29.2cm).

“And it’s still snowing across these areas,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

Cory Pacheco, 58, uses a snowblower to clear out his driveway in downtown Flint, Michigan. – AP

Central Illinois and northern Indiana appeared likely to receive the most snowfall, with expected totals ranging from 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45cm) by the end of Thursday, said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

Snow had begun to taper off in Missouri by early afternoon but much of the state could wind up with 8 inches to a foot (20 to 30cm) of snow. Parts of Michigan also could see snow totals around a foot by Thursday.

In Chicago, Elisha Waldman and his sons welcomed the opportunity to hit a sledding hill, even as snow continued to fall.

“Cold and wet and wonderful, and getting cold and wet is part of the fun with the guys, and we get to go inside and have hot cocoa and warm up,” Waldman said.

In Detroit’s western suburbs, Tony Haley also found an advantage to the weather. He owns a landscaping and irrigation company that offers snow removal and salting services, but the early winter weeks offered few opportunities for business.

“This one here, we’re looking for a good two, three days of work,” Haley said after clearing snow away from several businesses in Canton.

But for those on the roads, the heavy snow created hazardous conditions.

“We’re receiving a lot of snow over here in northwest Indiana and it’s the wet, slushy snow that causes treacherous driving conditions to say the least,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said.

In central Missouri, officials shut down part of Interstate 70 at noon after a crash made the roadway impassable.

Areas south of the heavy snow were expected to see freezing rain, with the heaviest ice predicted along the lower Ohio Valley area from Louisville, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee.

“If everything holds to where it is right now, this is the real deal,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who ordered state government offices to close on Thursday.

“It is dangerous. People need to be prepared.”

The disruptive storm moved across the central US on Groundhog Day, the same day the famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. The storm came on the heels of a nor’easter last weekend that brought blizzard conditions to many parts of the East Coast.

The storm’s path extended as far south as Texas, nearly a year after a catastrophic freeze buckled the state’s power grid in one of the worst blackouts in US history. The forecast did not call for the same prolonged and frigid temperatures as the February 2021 storm, and the National Weather Service said the system would, generally, not be as bad this time for Texas.

No large-scale power outages were reported by early afternoon Wednesday in Texas or elsewhere, according to poweroutage.us.

A woman pulls a child on a sled across a street in Denver. – AP

Snowfall totals reached 22 inches (56cm) in Colorado Springs and up to 10 inches (25cm) in the Denver area, with more expected, prompting universities, state government offices and the Legislature to shut down.

Airlines canceled nearly 8000 flights in the US scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, the flight-tracking service FlightAware.com showed. Airports in St Louis, Chicago, Kansas City and Detroit canceled more flights than usual. Almost 700 flights were canceled on Thursday alone at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and more than 300 were canceled at nearby Dallas Love Field.