One of the most extreme winter storms in years is set to deliver damaging ice and heavy snow to nearly half the USA major winter storm — among the most extreme and widespread in years — is set to lash more than two dozen states with damaging ice and heavy snow late this week. It’s all being fed and worsened by a brutal blast of Arctic air that could set records during the typical coldest time of the year. The storm will be so extensive, its snow, sleet and freezing rain could stretch more than 1,500 miles from the Plains across the South and into the Northeast. Major travel disruption on roads and at airports is a given across its entire footprint, and widespread and potentially long-lasting power outages are also possible, particularly from its ice storm in the South. The Arctic cold invasion that will feed this winter storm arrives in the Midwest and Plains Thursday into Friday and will then spread into the South and East this weekend. Dozens of locations could break daily high and low cold temperature records, especially this weekend into early next week.