As a deep winter chill begins to take over the northern half of the country, a new major winter storm will move across the U.S. this weekend into early next week.

       The storm kicks off on Saturday as a mix of rain, snow and ice develops over the central Plains. The Kansas City, Missouri, area will likely see dangerously slick travel on Saturday evening as a wintry mix moves in.

       The storm then follows Interstate 70 to St. Louis, where heavy snow and ice may strike from Saturday night through Sunday.

       By Sunday, a number of cities from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic could be facing hazardous travel as the ice and snow moves east.

       Meanwhile, in the South, thunderstorms with damaging winds and scattered tornadoes are possible from Houston to Memphis, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon.

       By Sunday night, snow could move into Washington, D.C., causing a dangerous Monday morning commute across much of the mid-Atlantic.

       Baltimore and Philadelphia have the potential to see 6 inches or more of snow.

       After the storm moves offshore, bitter cold air will move in behind it.

       A portion of the polar vortex will likely trigger temperatures 10 to 25 degrees below normal for the eastern half of the U.S. by the middle of next week.

       The wind chill -- what temperature it feels like -- could plunge below zero from the Midwest to the Northeast, and sub-freezing temperatures are forecast as far south as Florida.