Freezing rain and record-breaking snow pounded the U.S. on Thursday from the South through the Northeast. Nearly a third of the country has been under some form of a winter weather alert.

Winter storm warnings were placed from Tuesday to Friday. Some Midwest and Northeast cities could see up to 18 inches of snow.

“To give you an idea of just how wide of an impact this winter storm will have ... you can drive in a [relatively] straight line from Crockett County, Texas, to Aroostook County, Maine [on the border of Maine and New Brunswick], and never be out of a winter storm warning!” The National Weather Service tweeted on Wednesday.

Thunderstorms and a tornado watch were issued for parts of Alabama and Mississippi. An ice storm is underway for parts of Texas that include Austin and San Antonio.

The severe weather will affect all travel from flights to driving and possible power outages. Data from flight-tracking site FlightAware showed that more than 5,800 flights had been canceled by Thursday afternoon.

"It is a slow-moving storm," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told USA TODAY. "Such a long-duration storm not only makes travel difficult over a long period of time, but it also allows the freezing rain to accumulate up to around 1 inch in some areas which can cause power outages."

Poweroutage.us reported that there are around 200,000 power outages in Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee.

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