Thousands Of People Are Without Power As A Result Of The Winter Storm That Has Pounded The United States And Canada.

Heavy snow and ice have blanketed areas of the United States and Canada, putting more than 80 million people under weather warnings.

In several south-eastern regions, more than 145,000 people are without electricity, and thousands of flights have been canceled.

North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia and Georgia, have all proclaimed states of emergency.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States predicts more than a foot (30 cm) of snow in certain regions.

The NWS cautioned that snow and ice could cause "dangerous travel, power outages, and tree damage."

According to the Associated Press news agency, highway patrols reported hundreds of automobile accidents.

On Sunday morning, officials in Canada's Ontario province, which shares a border with New York state, issued storm warnings for much of the south. Toronto, the province's capital and largest city, is expected to receive seven inches (20 cm) of snow.

According to the FlightAware data tracking website, almost 3,000 flights into and out of the United States were canceled on Sunday.

Nearly 90% of flights were canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, prompting a warning on the airport's website urging travellers to check with their airlines before traveling to the airport.

Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina has urged folks to remain off the roadways.

"This is going to be a really bad storm in the upper portion of the state," he said, adding that the storm's arrival on a weekend and a public holiday on Monday was "good news," since it meant fewer people would have to travel.

"The storm is likely to under-deliver, but it could also over-deliver. We simply don't know "Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stated as he revealed his state's preparations.

Thousands of people are without power as a result of the winter storm that has pounded the United States and Canada.