DENVER, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A dangerous, colossal storm will pound the United States from the Rockies to the East Coast with snow, sleet and freezing rain, forecasters said.
The storm -- starting in some areas Monday and cutting a huge swath by Wednesday, Groundhog Day -- will be felt from Colorado's Front Range to the Ohio Valley and through the Appalachian Mountains and Mid-Atlantic states Tuesday before unleashing its fury on the East Coast north into New England Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
The storm in the Midwest will be marked by heavy snow, destructive ice and bitter cold, Weather.com reported.
Wind chills were expected to fall to 30 below zero Tuesday night into Wednesday morning in Omaha, Neb., AccuWeather.com reported.
Federal officials said Monday they have been monitoring the situation and urged people in the affected areas to prepare for the onslaught.
"A storm of this size and scope needs to be taken seriously," Craig Fugate, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, said, adding, "If you haven't already, take steps now to get your homes and families ready".
FEMA dispatched an incident management assistance team to Oklahoma to help with coordination should a response be necessary. Liaison officers also have been deployed to Kansas, Missouri and Indiana at the request of those states.
Water, generators, meals, cots and blankets have been positioned across the country, just in case, FEMA said.
Many Midwest cities were forecast to get more than a foot of snow, possibly 2 feet in some areas.
Chicago was forecast to get more than 18 inches by early Wednesday.
Minneapolis will likely get 3 to 6 inches, but other parts of southeastern Minnesota could get 9 inches, forecasters said.
Farther south and east Tuesday, a major ice storm will likely bring down trees and power lines from St. Louis to Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio, AccuWeather.com reported.
The raging blizzard could shut down Kansas City International Airport by Tuesday afternoon and Chicago O'Hare International Airport by Tuesday night.
Temperatures will likely be warm enough from Washington to New York City to bring mainly rain Wednesday.
The heaviest Northeast snow is expected to be away from the Atlantic coast, from interior Pennsylvania into upstate New York and New England, Weather.com said, calling the storm "potentially historic".
Accompanying the blizzard will be a severe thunderstorm threat, with hail and damaging winds, including possible tornadoes, across the South including the Gulf States, AccuWeather.com and Weather.com said. UPI
