Hundreds of schools across the middle of the country will remain closed on Tuesday as crews continue to clear roadways amid plummeting temperatures.

The Alton Telegraph in Alton, Ill., reported that several districts in central Illinois would keep their doors closed Tuesday. Schools will also remain closed in the Kansas City metro area, KMBC News reported.

The same will be true for schools in the Cincinnati area, WLWT5 News reported.

Schools and some businesses in and around Roanoke, Va., will also remain closed on Tuesday, WFXR reported, as will they in Cumberland County, Tenn., according to 3BMediaNews.com.

In the hard-hit area surrounding the nation's capital, the bulk of schools won't be open on Tuesday either, the Washington Post reported.

• Alexandria City Public Schools (closed)

• Anne Arundel County Public Schools (closed)

• Arlington Public Schools (closed)

• Calvert County Public Schools (closed)

• Carroll County Public Schools (closed, offices to open at 10 a.m.)

• Charles County Public Schools (closed)

• Culpeper County Public Schools (closed Tuesday; staff workday Wednesday)

• Fairfax County Public Schools (closed)

• Falls Church City Public Schools (closed)

• Fauquier County Public Schools (closed)

• Frederick County (Md.) Public Schools (closed, offices will open two hours late)

• Fredericksburg City Public Schools (closed)

• Howard County Public Schools (closed)

• Loudoun County Public Schools (closed, school board meeting rescheduled to Thursday)

• Manassas City Public Schools (closed)

• Montgomery County Public Schools (closed)

• Prince George’s County Public Schools (closed, only emergency personnel must report)

• Prince William County Public Schools (closed, exception: inclement weather employees)

• Spotsylvania County Public Schools (closed, essential personnel report for emergency services as needed)

• Stafford County Public Schools (closed)

If in doubt about whether schools in an affected area will be open on Tuesday, check with your local school board.

Ronald Reagan National Airport announced this evening that it would be temporarily closing down its runways to allow for a crew to clear out snow and "prevent refreezing on the airfield." Reagan National Airport (DCA) is outside Washington, D.C.

Although the announcement, posted to X, did not include specific times, FlightAware said all inbound flights into DCA were held until 8 p.m. ET.

Earlier today, it was reported that "almost all flights" out of DCA had been canceled as the airport itself had almost 5 inches of snow by 9 a.m. ET.

Bao Li and Qing Bao, the two new giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., were spotted playing around in the snow earlier today.

The pair were both born in China in 2021 and moved to D.C. in October. They will make their public debut on Jan. 24.

While portions of the Midwest and the mid-Atlantic region grapple with heavy snow, Southern California is bracing for a different weather threat.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and parts of Ventura County through Thursday evening, meaning that conditions for wildfires will be at their highest, thanks to low humidity, an ongoing drought and the arrival of strong Santa Ana winds.

"HEADS UP!!! A LIFE-THREATENING, DESTRUCTIVE, Widespread Windstorm is expected Tue afternoon-Weds morning across much of Ventura/LA Co. Areas not typically windy will be impacted," the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said in a message posted to social media on Monday.

Read more from Yahoo News.

On Monday the governors of seven states — Maryland, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and West Virginia — declared a state of emergency in response to the winter storm that had paralyzed much of the midsection of the country, Sky News reported.

More than 60 million people have found themselves under winter weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service since Saturday.

The city of Richmond, Va., and the Virginia Department of Health issued a Boil Water Advisory Monday after the massive winter storm knocked out power to the city's water reservoir system.

"Our top priority is the health and safety of our residents and neighbors. I am asking all Richmonders to limit their water usage as the team at the Department of Public Utilities works around the clock to get our water system back online,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a statement posted to the city's website. “I’m also asking residents to consider their neighbors and only use as much water as they need – we’re all in this together, and our team is vigorously working to restore full function to our water system in the near term.”

City officials provided a checklist to ensure the consumption of "safe drinking water during this time" that included the following:

• Do not drink tap water during this boil water alert.

• Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities.

• Do not use ice made from water today.

• Discard the ice and sanitize the ice machine and/or ice trays. Likewise, do not use water dispensed directly from a refrigerator.

• Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.

• Do not wash your dishes using tap water — use boiled water or use paper plates for the next few days.

• Do not wash your fruits and vegetables with tap water — use boiled or bottled water.

• Do not brush your teeth with tap water — use boiled or bottled water.

• Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for three minutes.

The National Weather Service is advising residents in the states affected by the winter storm to stay off the roads. However, if you must drive, here's how to make sure your car stays free of ice and snow:

• Check to see that your vehicle has plenty of gas and necessary emergency supplies, such as a first aid kit, a flashlight and bottled water.

• Remove all the snow from your car, including the roof.

• Clear off windows to maximize visibility; do the same for your headlights to ensure that others can see you.

More than a dozen states have been affected by the winter storm since it started traversing over the U.S. on Jan. 4, with several deaths reported as a direct consequences of the snow and ice.

Missouri State Highway Patrol reported three deaths: A 33-year-old man who died after a parked truck slid down the road and hit him early on Jan. 4; a 61-year-old man who stepped out of his car and was hit by a truck that "began to slide on the roadway" and a 28-year-old man who was hit by a trailer "swerving due to slick road conditions" on Jan. 5.

Kansas Highway Patrol wrote in a crash report that two people died after their car slid off the interstate.

In Illinois, the Macon County Sheriff's Office said that a 10-year-old, who had been riding an inner tube in the snow with a friend, hit a boulder. He was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries.

Kentucky is one of several states where officials have been urging people to stay off the roads due to icy conditions. According to the Associated Press, a truck stop in Florence, Ky., was "jammed with big rigs" driven by truckers who decided not to risk it.

"It was too dangerous. I didn't want to kill myself or anyone else," Michael Taylor, a long-haul driver from Los Angeles who was carrying a load of rugs to Macon, Ga., told the AP.

He said he saw numerous cars and trucks stuck in ditches before deciding to pull off the interstate.

"It was crazy," Taylor said. "I know when it's time to get off the roads."

The winter storm that has wreaked havoc across a large swath of the country "will be quickly exiting eastward into the western Atlantic tonight," the National Weather Service said in its latest updated forecast.

"While the bulk of accumulating snowfall has ended, light additional accumulations will be possible across portions of the central Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic coast early tonight," the weather service said. "High pressure and colder temperatures will filter eastward from the central U.S. through Wednesday supporting relatively tranquil weather for much of the central and eastern U.S."

Meanwhile, an arctic blast moving in behind the storm will cause temperatures to be "roughly 5 to 20 degrees below climatological daytime maxima" from the Great Plains to the East Coast through Wednesday.

With a snow emergency declared in Washington., D.C., hundreds of people turned out for a planned snowball fight at Meridian Hill Park on Monday.

According to the D.C. Snowball Fight Association, which organized the event, it marked the 15th year of "snowbilizing the masses on DC snow days."

According to the National Weather Service forecast, 6 to 12 inches of snow was expected to fall in the D.C. metro area.

The winter storm has created some eye-popping snowfall totals from Kansas to New York.

According to the National Weather Service, here are the highest 24-hour accumulations by state as of 2 p.m. ET:

• Stokes Corner, N.Y.: 75 inches

• Chapman and Saint George, Kan.: 18 inches

• Saint Joseph, Mo.: 16 inches

• Dawson, Neb.: 12.5 inches

• Cementville and Palmyra, Ind.: 12 inches

• Godfrey and Elsah, Ill.: 12 inches

• Easton, Md.: 11.5 inches

• Hebron, Ky.: 10.4 inches

• Covedale, Ohio: 10.3 inches

• Bridgeville, Del.: 10 inches

Several deaths have been reported on icy roads during the storm.

In Jackson County, Mo., officials announced Monday that a public works employee was killed while performing snow removal operations.

The man, identified as Everett Carter, 61, died on Sunday afternoon when he was struck by a sliding dump truck, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

“This incident serves as a solemn reminder of the dedication and risks faced by public servants like Mr. Carter, who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities,” Jackson County officials said in a press release cited by NBC News.

In Wichita, Kansas, the Kansas Highway Patrol said a 24-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were killed in a rollover crash, when the vehicle they were traveling in spun out on the interstate and flew down an embankment.

The storm has caused severe air travel disruptions. According to FlightAware, more than 1,800 flights in and out of the U.S. have been canceled so far, including nearly 500 at Reagan National and more than 250 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which issued a temporary ground stop earlier Monday due to snow and ice.

The Federation Aviation Administration warned that ground delays are possible this afternoon at New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International in New Jersey because of the icy conditions.

More than 1,800 flights in the U.S. have been canceled so far Monday, according to FlightAware, with the vast majority due to the storm.

According to federal law, airlines are required to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled. Here (from the Associated Press) are five tips for navigating flight cancelations:

1. Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. That depends, however, on the availability of open seats.

2. You can ask to be put on another airline, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight.

3. If you no longer want to take the trip, or you find another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a nonrefundable ticket.

4. It can help to reach out to airlines’ customer service representatives on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

5. You also can try calling your airline’s international help number — usually available online — since those agents can make changes to your itinerary too.

On the heels of the winter storm, an arctic air mass will send temperatures plunging in 40 states this week, Fox Weather reported.

"More than 200 million people will see temperatures Monday that range from 5-30 degrees below average," Fox Weather said. "Temperatures will then drop overnight below freezing for everyone across the country except the West Coast and Florida."

And it's shaping up to be a cold January, as "frigid temperatures are expected to remain in place across the eastern half of the country for at least the next two weeks."

The storm is wreaking havoc on the nation's roadways.

Virginia State Police said they responded to more than 200 vehicle crashes in a 12-hour period between 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday, though not all accidents were storm-related.

Similar figures were reported in Kentucky, where dispatchers responded to more than 170 vehicle accidents and over 280 stranded motorists.

Officials in those states and others are urging people to stay off the roads.

“This is a significant snow and ice event, so the roadways are still dangerous,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. “You might be able to see the pavement, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not slick."

The ongoing winter storm has knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people, from Illinois to Virginia.

According to PowerOutage.us, here are the five states with the most outages as of 12 p.m. ET:

• Virginia: 108,114

• Kentucky: 75,708

• Indiana: 53,407

• West Virginia: 50,518

• Illinois: 35,855

This storm is the Washington, D.C., area's first substantial snowfall of the winter season, with the National Weather Service reporting that the city has been hit with around 5 inches of snow as of early Monday morning.

While federal offices are closed today because of the weather, Congress is still set to meet later this afternoon on Capitol Hill to certify President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election.

In addition to heavy snow in the mid-Atlantic, other areas of the country will see moderate to severe weather on Monday.

According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, severe thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Southeast, which could produce isolated tornadoes.

Lake-effect snow will continue to fall across the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast Monday.

In the Pacific Northwest, coastal rain and higher-elevation snow will continue through Tuesday.