Break salt and shovels as the winter storm is about to pour out a mess of snow and ice in blockbuster warnings or consultations for the U.S. winter, now covers at least 20 states.

Snow and ice storms in the central and eastern U.S.; heavy rain in the south; flash water watches on the west coast: The National Weather Service says the storm is threatening to disrupt commuters and cancel school days across the country.

As the sun rose on Tuesday morning, satellite images showed dense glaze covering the white clouds that covered most of the continent, another system looming.

"A major winter storm began Tuesday" predicting "heavy snow from northeast Kentucky to West Virginia through the I-95 corridor from Richmond, Virginia (Virginia) to Philadelphia," the NWS said Tuesday.

The agency said the total forecast for snow is 4 to 8 inches. Wet snow can make travel extremely risky, especially during commuting Tuesday afternoons.

Forecasters say other winter storms will hit the central and western plains and the central plains.

As of noon Tuesday, the two largest systems triggered winter storm warnings and consultations in about 20 states, from Boulder, Colorado to Ocean City, Maryland.

"The rapid accumulation of snowfall will make travel extremely difficult and will make travel extremely difficult," said the National Weather Service Office of Lincoln, Illinois.

The governor declared weather-related emergencies in Kansas and Virginia.

From Tuesday to Wednesday, dangerous half-inch ice could build up on the Appalachian roads in the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians, the NWS said. Heavy snow can also cause trees to collapse and cause power outages.
Weather experts recommend that anyone who has to travel be careful - and pack emergency items in the car, from flashlights to food and water.

In the Denver area, zero cold temperatures are expected to continue for most of the next 24 hours, with snowfall expected to be 3 to 6 inches.

"It's a very active snow pattern," said Public Radio, a member of Colorado state. "It's just snow and cold."

In California, heavy rains are expected to hit part of the fire in Los Angeles the same week as a large project begins to remove fragments of structure and private property from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires.

NWS meteorologist Kristan Lund said an atmospheric river will bring California's "strongest storm of the season."

The La NWS office said the rain could peak on Thursday, with the Los Angeles area expected to be more than 2 inches by this weekend.

Many extreme weather in the country were reflected in Texas this week. Texas Emergency Management Department warned that the state faces wildfire danger in the west, snowfall in Panhandle, Texas, and potential flooding in eastern Texas.