A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the nation's midsection Wednesday as airlines canceled thousands of flights, officials urged residents to stay off roads, and schools closed campuses.

The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. On Wednesday morning, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow.

More than a foot of snow was expected in parts of central Missouri and Michigan, and up to a foot of snow could fall Wednesday and Thursday in central and northeastern Illinois. Twelve to 18 inches of snow is possible in areas of northern Indiana, said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Md.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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