Chaos in the United States VIDEO / PHOTO

Chaos in the United States VIDEO / PHOTO

The storm caused a major collapse in traffic and led to the closure of schools in several American states, while thousands of people were left without electricity.

Winter and ice storm warnings are in effect in large part of America, from Texas to the Midwest and New England, the National Weather Service said.

More than 100 million residents in at least 25 states are warned of the weather, CNN cable network reports.

As heavy snow fell in the Midwest on Wednesday, an additional 15 centimeters could fall in parts of the region on Thursday. The snow will be accompanied by winds of up to 56 kilometers per hour, which could significantly reduce visibility on the roads, reports "Voice of America".

The storm caused chaos in the air traffic as well. By mid-day, more than 4.000 flights had been canceled, according to the FlyTower website. About 2.000 flights were canceled at the airport in Dallas, Texas alone. Parts of Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee were hit by a dangerous ice storm. More than a centimeter of ice could form in some places by Friday morning, which could lead to power outages and dangerous road conditions, the meteorological service warned.

"Everything will freeze during the night, which is why there is a possibility that there will be thin layers of ice on the roads, which is very difficult to see," the Secretariat for Traffic of the State of Arkansas announced on Twitter. More than 220.000 homes and shops in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are without electricity, according to data from the PowerSuite website.

School districts in several states, including Texas, Michigan and Ohio, canceled classes on Thursday.

Due to the storm, the temperatures in many places will be extremely low in the coming days - sometimes up to 6 degrees below average.