America's central plains struggling under the weight of snow.

A powerful winter storm has left at least three people dead, as it barreled toward Chicago Tuesday.

Blizzard conditions in Oklahoma, Texas and parts of Kansas shut down highways and forced hundreds of flight cancellations, in central plain states that were still digging out from a winter storm last week.

And in Chicago, the combination of snow, ice and winds threatened to create nightmarish travel conditions in the evening commute.