Eastern US hunkers down in major winter storm

A deadly storm system dumped heavy snow and freezing rain across the eastern United States on Monday, killing five people and disrupting travel for millions of Americans from the central plains to the capital Washington.

Some 350,000 people were without power across nine states, while more than 1,800 flights were canceled and thousands more delayed, according to tracking websites Poweroutage.us and FlightAware.

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted up to a foot of snow in Washington, where Congress was set to forge ahead with the certification of Donald Trump's election victory, four years to the day after his supporters stormed the US Capitol to try to overturn his 2020 loss.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for "full attendance" at Congress regardless of the weather.

The capital's brightly-colored row houses and normally leafy streets were blanketed with white on Monday as residents waded through the snow and schools were closed in a city that only rarely has to face such wintry conditions.

The storm tracked eastward after bringing blizzard conditions to states including Kansas and Missouri.

 Lethal conditions  

At least five people have been killed so far in storm-related incidents.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol recorded one fatality, when a truck slid into a pedestrian on snowy roads, while two were killed in a vehicle crash in in Kansas, US media reported. Both incidents took place on Sunday.

"Snow has transitioned to ice... bringing power outages and more hazardous road conditions. Transportation crews are working hard to clear roads for utility crews and emergency travel," warned Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, calling for residents to stay home.

Video clips showed cars skidding off ice-coated highways and tractor-trailers jack-knifing in Kansas.

A White House spokesman said President Joe Biden was closely monitoring the severe weather and was ready to support affected states.

The NWS warned thunderstorms could also impact southeastern states, bringing hail and tornadoes, and that accumulations of thick ice -- as well as widespread tree damage from powerful wind gusts -- could lead to prolonged power outages.

Temperatures are expected to plunge, in some places to below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius), while strong wind gusts compound the dangers. The mercury could sink tens of degrees below seasonal norms on the US Gulf Coast.

Another major concern is freezing rain and sleet. Ice will make travel hazardous, bring down trees and topple electricity lines, authorities warned.

Conditions could prove especially perilous in the Appalachian mountain region, where a deadly hurricane in late September devastated communities and ravaged multiple southeastern states including Kentucky.

The governors of Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and Maryland have declared a state of emergency in their states, and have taken to social media to warn residents to stay home.