A severe winter storm is expected to bring a glaze of ice, dangerously cold temperatures, and potentially a foot of snow to Oklahoma starting Friday.

As millions of Americans hunker down for the winter storm, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have declared states of emergency.

While this weekend’s winter storm already has delivered on the predicted bitter cold, it is likely to produce snowfall amounts slightly less than originally forecasted, the National Weather Service office in Topeka said.

Reporters across the NPR Network are covering the impact of the storm and how officials are responding. We've also got tips for staying safe once bad weather hits.

“It will be after 7 or 8 p.m. when things start to trend over to frozen precipitation, and definitely after midnight is when it should be solidly freezing rain,” National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Willis said Saturday from his office in Peachtree City.

There's more than a 50% chance Nashville will be significantly impacted by ice, making travel extremely dangerous.