Homeland Security officials have urged disaster response staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid using the word “ice” in public messaging about the massive winter storm barreling toward much of the United States,

Hundreds of thousands may be without heat for a time in the southern United States in wake of the massive snow and ice storm. The magnitude and duration of the cold will threaten lives and property.

Another term used to describe the sudden fracturing which causes rapidly freezing trees to explode.

Snow and ice could grind airports to a halt in the middle of the country. Hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati, and possibly Atlanta will be impacted, and the ripple effect will cause delays and cancellations across the country.

People across a large section of the central and eastern United States are facing predictions for heavy snow and ice starting Friday.

The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Millions across the U.S. are bracing for a major winter storm bringing snow, ice and dangerous cold, with states from New Jersey to Texas preparing as temperatures plunge and travel disruptions begin.

A major winter storm, one of the most extreme and expansive in years, is starting to develop over the Plains and will impact much of the United States. Over the next few days, the storm will drop up to a foot of snow and crippling amounts of ice over an area spanning 2,