Major Winter Storm Threatens Ice, Snow, Power Outages

A huge winter storm was expected to bring ice and snow across large parts of the nation Sunday, dumping up to eight inches on cities including New York and Philadelphia in time for the Monday morning commute.

The National Weather Service said the storm was forecast to move east over the Rockies and into the Plains and Mississippi Valley through Sunday, bringing a mix of freezing rain and ice.

Widespread power outages are likely in areas where freezing rain accumulates on tree limbs as the storm moves through the Midwest, the Weather Channel warned.

Colorado's ski resorts could see up to six inches of fresh snow. A mixture of sleet and snow in Kansas, Missouri and Illinois will eventually change over to all snow — with up to 8 inches forecast for Kansas City and the St. Louis area — while northern Arkansas will see freezing rain.

But eyes are already turning to the Appalachians and the East Coast, where the wintry mix will turn to snow during Sunday afternoon and into Monday.

Up to six inches of snow could fall on New York City and up to eight inches in parts of Long Island and New Jersey overnight Sunday, making for a slow and messy commute Monday morning, NBC New York reported.

NBC10 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Glenn Schwartz said the the large storm system's outer edge would be arriving in the Philadelphia area by Sunday afternoon. "Because it'll be in the 40's during the day, it'll take a little while for problems to develop," he said. "But they will and then gradually spread southwards."

The worst of Sunday’s icing will occur in eastern Oklahoma, northern Arkansas into western Kentucky, the Weather Channel reported.

Central Indiana was under a winter storm warning from Saturday night into Monday morning, and is set to accumulate 5 to 8 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. As of Feb. 15, the state had already seen its snowiest winter in three decades, the state Transportation Department said.

The system has already caused chaos in the Rockies. More than 100 vehicles were caught in collisions on Saturday on Interstate 25 in Denver , including 45 involved in a chain-reaction accident caused by "slick roads, fog, and human error," Denver police said.

Elisha Fieldstadt contributed to this report.