US winter storm leaves four dead as millions hit by snow, ice and bitter cold

Hundreds of thousands left without power and flights canceled as state of emergencies declared in several states

Millions of Americans were hit by a major winter storm on Monday that brought heavy snow, ice, strong winds and freezing temperatures as it moved east out of the center of the country and into the mid-Atlantic region, having killed at least four people the day before.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm warnings and advisories stretching from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey as moderate to heavy snow fell from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic region.