Winter Storm Fern has shut down much of the country, leaving travelers stranded in chaos and thousands of families without power as temperatures plummet to far below freezing. 

The storm hit parts of the South, Midwest, and Great Plains on Saturday afternoon, resulting in sleety and snowy conditions in various cities.   

The storm's path is moving Northeast, as parts of the East Coast are now bracing to bear the brunt of the blizzard. 

Boston and a large swathe of Massachusetts could see up to 18 inches of snow, according to the latest Weather Channel forecast. New York City has been forecast to receive around 11 inches, while Pennsylvania, Indiana and Maine will see between five and 18 inches.  

Around 220 million Americans live in the 2,000-mile storm path, spanning from New Mexico to Maine.

Over half of the country is under a winter weather alert, including 37 states, with at least 21 declaring a state of emergency by Saturday night. 

One in four flights has been canceled this weekend, with almost 10,000 cancellations for Sunday's scheduled flights, over 4,500 cancellations on Saturday, and over 1,500 cancellations for Monday's scheduled flights, according to data compiled by FlightAware.

The hazardous conditions left more than 173,000 families without power late on Saturday night, per the live tracking website PowerOutage.us. 

A majority of the outages occurred in Louisiana, leaving over 70,000 homes without power.

Almost 50,000 families were left without power in Texas amid a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service. 

In New Mexico, thousands of families were left without power as one electric company announced on Saturday night that conditions for their linemen were too dangerous to continue power restoration. 

Otero County Electric Cooperative reported about 6,000 of its 21,000 customers in the state were experiencing power outages on Saturday afternoon, according to America's Electric Cooperatives. 

Later in the day, the company announced on social media that it had been forced to pause restoration efforts overnight due to trees breaking off from heavy snowfall and endangering electric crews. 

Cities across the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic experienced heavy snowfall on Saturday. 

Little Rock, Arkansas, was hit with almost 8 inches of snow, while Beloit, Kansas, was buried under 7 inches, and Memphis, Tennessee, had 3.5 inches.

Nashville also saw a rare coating, with images depicting cheerful schoolchildren sliding down a massive hill in front of the state Capitol.  

Temperatures across the US are 10 to 40 degrees below average, with wind chills in the Northern Plains plummeting to -50 degrees overnight.

The East Coast has already begun to experience frigid conditions, as temperatures dropped into the teens on Saturday. 

The bitter cold will only get worse and is expected to persist until Wednesday, as parts of upstate New York are likely to see temperatures as low as -14F. 

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned his constituents to remain vigilant amid winter weather. 

He issued a Code Blue on Thursday to provide enhanced support for homeless individuals in need of shelter.

On Saturday, three people were found dead outside as temperatures plunged. The New York City Police Department confirmed to NBC 4 New York that a 67-year-old man was found dead on a sidewalk in Manhattan on Saturday morning.

Another individual was found dead in Manhattan, and a third was found in Brooklyn. Authorities believe the deaths were due to weather-related circumstances.

Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey will continue to experience potentially hazardous conditions for days, with heavy snowfall expected overnight. Some cities are predicted to get up to 14 inches.

South Jersey is likely to see at least eight inches, with parts of New York and Connecticut expected to get around 11 inches, according to the National Weather Service. 

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced on Saturday that public transit would be temporarily suspended and that travel restrictions would be in place for most of Sunday, potentially into Monday. 

President Trump announced on Thursday that the federal government would be coordinating with state and local officials during the storm. 

The Department of Homeland Security has activated its National Response Coordination Center and Regional Coordination Centers. 

Americans have been advised by federal, state, and local officials to stay inside and stock up on essentials as the historic storm sweeps the nation.