A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the U.S. stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the

As a deep winter chill begins to take over the northern half of the country, a new major winter storm will move across the U.S. this weekend into early next week.

The developing storm system is forecast to bring heavy snow, crippling ice and severe weather across the country through the next three days.

The first significant winter storm of the year is endangering a 2,100-mile swath of the country from the Northwest and Plains through the mid-Atlantic and East Coast, bringing a multitude of life-threatening hazards across major metropolitan areas.

A major winter storm forecast to produce heavy snow, significant ice and frigid temperatures was set to begin in the central U.S. on Saturday and move east over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service.