A significant winter storm event is shaping up to begin in the southern Plains on Friday and move across the South and into the East Coast over the upcoming weekend.

A winter storm could cause havoc for Americans from Texas to New York with the possibility of massive power outages and flight cancellations.

"In portions of the Northeast, this could end up being the biggest storm of the winter so far," wrote AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in a forecast report.

Track the winter storm as it's forecasted to bring heavy snow and extremely cold weather to the U.S., reaching millions from the southern U.S. to the Northeast.

Bags of ice-thwarting salt aren’t usually a hot item at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta, but store manager Lewis Pane sold all 275 he had in stock in one morning as residents braced for a major storm to...