Dangerous wintry conditions descended Sunday on a large swath of the central United States as a severe storm system tracked eastward, prompting travel and work disruptions from Kansas City to Washington.

The severe weather, spanning from the Midwest to Washington DC, is a "potential disaster", says one forecaster.

A major winter storm sweeping much of the U.S. was producing heavy snow and ice as it threatened areas from the Central Plains through Mid-Atlantic — leaving tens of millions under weather alerts Sunday.

A blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures stirred up dangerous travel conditions in parts of the central U.S. on Sunday. The disruptive winter storm brought the possibility of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some areas.

Up to a foot of snow is expected from Ohio to DC in what could be the biggest such accumulation in over a decade.