Road conditions were deteriorating Saturday in the central U.S. as a mix of snow, ice and plunging temperatures arrived, with forecasts calling for the dreaded combo to spread eastward in the coming days.

“Winter returned,” declared Bob Oravec, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually stays penned up around the North Pole, spinning like a top. But sometimes it escapes or stretches down to the U.S., Europe or Asia — and that’s when large numbers of people experience intense doses of cold. Studies show a fast-warming Arctic gets some of the blame for the increase in polar vortex stretching or wandering.

Snow and ice are in the forecast

By Saturday evening, widespread heavy snow was likely between central Kansas and Indiana, especially along and north of Interstate 70, where there was a high chance of at least 8 inches of snow (20 centimeters). Part of the interstate closed in central Kansas by Saturday afternoon.

The storm will then move into the Ohio Valley, where severe travel disruptions are expected. It will reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Sunday into Monday. A hard freeze is even expected as far south as Florida.

Car wrecks start as storm hits

A fire truck, several tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles overturned west of Salina, Kansas. Rigs also jackknifed and went into ditches, said Trooper Ben Gardner of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the highway blacktop like an ice-skating rink.

“We are in it now,” Gardner said as he drove up to the scene of an accident. “The game has started.”

Freezing rain in Wichita, Kansas, sent authorities to multiple crashes Saturday morning. Police urged drivers to stay home if possible and watch out for emergency vehicles.

A state of emergency was declared in neighboring Missouri by Gov. Mike Parson. Whiteout conditions may make driving dangerous to impossible, forecasters warned, and heighten the risk of becoming stranded.

Getting ready to ride out the storm

Stores in Wichita were filled with shoppers stocking up on groceries in advance of the storm, and warming centers opened in churches and libraries.

“Get where you’re going now & stay put. If you must travel, consider packing a bag & staying where you’re headed,” the Missouri Department of Transportation urged in a message on X.

Several businesses closed across the Kansas City area, and the school district in suburban Independence announced it might need to cancel classes for one or more days.

Temperatures dip but no records break

The cold temperatures weren’t setting records but were causing problems nonetheless.

They hovered in the teens in Chicago and around zero in Minneapolis, while dropping to 14 below in International Falls, Minnesota.

Disruptions extend southward

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday evening ahead of the storm, noting it could impact Virginia residents’ ability to vote in the state’s special elections on Tuesday. In a statement on X, the governor encouraged residents to vote early on Saturday in special elections before winter weather arrives.

In Louisiana, crews on land and water were racing to find a manatee that was spotted in Lake Pontchartrain before the cold temperatures hit. The manatee was first seen New Year’s Eve in the Mandeville area.

While manatees are common in the area during the summer months, winter sightings are a concern since the animals can begin to experience cold stress symptoms when the temperature gets below 68 degrees (20 Celsius).

“We are doing everything we can to get our hands on this animal,” said Gabriella Harlamert, stranding and rehab coordinator for Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

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Hollingsworth is reporting from Mission, Kansas, and Witte in Annapolis, Maryland. Andrew DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Arkansas.