A winter "monster" looms: Snow, ice and extreme cold to paralyze everything; Citizens warned VIDEO/MAP

A major winter storm—one of the largest and most extreme in recent years—is expected, according to meteorologists, to affect more than half of the United States by the end of the week, bringing heavy snowfall and extremely low temperatures.

The storm is expected to be so large that snow, sleet, and freezing rain will impact more than 2,400 kilometers across the U.S. Significant disruptions are expected on roads and at airports in the affected areas, and prolonged power outages are possible, especially due to an ice storm in the southern parts of the country, CNN reported today.

Extreme cold will worsen the storm and its impacts by causing snow and ice to accumulate more rapidly on roads, making them harder to clear, and potentially leaving those who lose power without heating for days. According to the forecast, snow and ice will begin forming tomorrow over the plains of the central and southern United States as the storm intensifies, and by Saturday evening it will extend from Oklahoma and northern Texas to North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Snowfall is expected to continue until Sunday evening in the northeastern United States. Winter storm warnings have been issued for more than 70 million people across parts of 20 states, and that number is expected to rise in the coming days.