Snowfall in Louisville, Kentucky as US is on alert for snowstorm

Dangerous wintry conditions descended Sunday on a large swath of the central United States as a severe storm system tracked eastward, prompting travel and work disruptions from Kansas City to Washington.

Around a dozen states from Kansas to New Jersey were under winter storm warnings Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), while areas across the US South faced possible tornado and cold weather threats. Nationwide, over 60 million people were under some sort of weather alert, according to broadcaster CNN, while air traffic monitoring site FlightAware showed almost 2,200 flight cancellations and over 25,000 delays.

Kentucky Governor implored residents to "please stay home" after reporting multiple vehicle crashes had closed a major highway.

The NWS also warned that accumulations of up to a half-inch of ice in some areas as well as widespread tree damage from powerful wind gusts  could lead to "prolonged power outages."