Winter weather alerts were in place for some 100 million people across 22 states from Nebraska to Massachusetts on Thursday as a series of winter storms descend on states in the North and the East, bringing snow,

Millions of people from the Midwest to the Northeast are on alert as a developing winter storm is expected to bring a potentially crippling ice threat that could knock out power and lead to treacherous travel conditions across the region.

A winter storm that brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to a large swath of the Midwest swept into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday, causing treacherous travel conditions, prompting school delays and closures and potential power outages for millions of Americans.

Winter weather advisories for all 21 counties are in effect with ice and up to 3 inches of snow possible in spots.

Freezing rain could lead to hazardous travel conditions across the entire Chicago area, especially during "peak timing" of the winter weather system.