Snow, ice and subzero temperatures to sweep across US this weekend

The storm will stretch 2,000 miles from south-west to east, disrupting travel and threatening power outages

A vast winter storm is set to descend across much of the US starting on Friday, sweeping snow, ice and brutal cold across nearly 2,000 miles from the south-west to the east coast and affecting more than 200 million people.

The system is expected to disrupt travel, bring down trees and power lines, and create the risk of prolonged power outages, followed by dangerously cold air.