New Delhi, Jan. 22 -- A powerful winter storm, the biggest of the seasons set to bring record-setting cold beginning Friday. It will reportedly move across Texas before surging up the East Coast toward major cities like New York and Boston.

Because of strong winds, bitter cold, and heavy snow, parts of the Upper and Mid-Mississippi Valley are under a Blizzard Warning tonight. The National Weather Service (NWS) states that several areas have issued Extreme Cold Watches and Warnings through Saturday. Sub-zero and single-digit temperatures are expected to spread from the Northern Plains on Thursday into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and the Northeast by Sunday.

Over the weekend, more than 175 million people could be affected by ...