CNN
 — 

More than 25 million people were under winter weather alerts Monday as a potentially significant winter weather event set up across a large swath of the Central US, bringing the risk of heavy precipitation and significant icing from Texas to Illinois.

“The interaction of an arctic air mass and moisture will set the stage for an expansive area of dangerous travel conditions early in the week,” the National Weather Service warned.

A zone of sleet, freezing rain and drizzle is “very likely” from parts of Texas to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, according to the weather service.

While the winter storm won’t produce precipitation the entire time, it will likely be a prolonged event and cities that see freezing – or slightly below freezing – temperatures are expected to be hit the hardest.

Dangerously bitter cold air has also settled in behind the arctic front as it slowly moved through the west over the weekend, with more than 15 million people under wind chill warnings Monday morning.

Wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero are possible. The coldest wind chills can cause frostbite in a little as 10 minutes.

In Austin, Texas, freezing rain could begin as early as Monday morning. Icing will be possible mainly late at night through the mid-morning hours when temperatures will be coldest. Dallas is also expected to see significant icing from one tenth to a quarter of an inch.

Snowfall up to an inch and ice around two tenths of an inch are possible in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, snow and sleet up to an inch and ice up to a tenth of an inch are possible in Springfield, Missouri, and ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch in St. Louis.

“The snow will result in reduced visibility and the snow/ice will produce hazardous driving conditions,” the weather service warned.

The most significant travel impacts in the Texas area are expected Tuesday, with icy bridges and slick roadways possible, according to the weather service’s Fort Worth office. Drivers in the area were asked to watch out for patches of black ice and slippery roadways.

“Avoid travel if you can, but if you have to get out, watch out for ice/black ice, make sure to give yourself plenty of time and to slow down while driving,” the weather service said.

In Oklahoma, deteriorating travel conditions were expected to begin Monday morning as sleet and freezing rain moved into the area, according to the weather service office in Norman.

And as freezing drizzle spread into central Illinois Sunday evening, the weather service office in Lincoln warned that slick roadways, sidewalks and parking lots are possible. “Use caution if heading out tonight,” forecasters said.

Poor weather may have been a factor in a deadly multi-vehicle crash in Carbon County, Wyoming, over the weekend.

The crash on Interstate 80 left one person dead and injured several others Saturday evening as an arctic front was slowly moving through the area.

While the exact cause of the collision it is not known, excessive blowing snow and winds kept visibility down when it happened – even at times when no new snow was falling. Areas along the I-80 saw between 1 and 5 inches of snow, with isolated areas along the highway seeing even higher accumulations.

A total of 44 vehicles collided between two separate crashes on the interstate, the post stated.

Cities across the region could expect more snow Monday.

Lake-effect snow is expected to sweep down from the Great Lakes and upslope over parts of the Central Appalachians.

A cold high pressure over the Northern Plains will move south into the Ohio Valley by Monday, bringing temperatures 15 to 35 degrees below average over parts of the Northern Rockies and Great Basin to the Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley, according to the weather service.

Meanwhile, showers are forecast for parts of the Lower Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys, as well as parts of the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast into Monday.