Major winter storm plunges large parts of US into severe cold

A car became wedged between two trucks in a pile-up during icy weather in Kansas. Picture: Kansas Highway Patrol/AP

A major, disruptive winter storm is sweeping across the central US, bringing with it a dreaded combination of snow, ice and plunging temperatures.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri – where blizzard conditions are expected – to New Jersey.