ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the United States and Europe stirred dangerous conditions for travelers, prompting flights canceled.

In the US, snow and ice blanketed major roads on Monday across Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state's National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. At least 20 centimeters of snow were expected, along with gusting winds up to 72 kilometers per hour.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri all the way to New Jersey.

"For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade," the weather service said.

School closings were expected to be widespread on Monday. Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky began announcing cancellations and delays on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for its nearly 100,000 students.

Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit.

The polar vortex of ultracold air usually spins around the North Pole. People in the US, Europe and Asia experience intense cold when the vortex escapes and plunges southward.

Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip.

Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the UK and Germany, with several major airports forced to suspend flights.

With the weather set to stay inclement on Sunday in the UK, there are concerns that many rural communities, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off, with up to 40 cm of snow on the ground above 300 meters.

A number of UK train services were canceled, with National Rail warning of disruption continuing into the working week.

Britain's main weather forecaster, the Met Office, says sleet and snow will continue to push north on Sunday and will be heaviest in northern England and into southern Scotland. After experiencing freezing rain, which occurs when super-cold rain freezes on impact, the south will turn milder. The Environment Agency has also issued eight flood warnings across southern England on the Taw and Avon rivers.

Snow and ice were also causing havoc in Germany, where a bout of wintry weather is spreading from the southwest. Authorities have issued black ice warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay home where possible.

Frankfurt airport canceled 120 of its 1,090 planned takeoffs and landings on Sunday, according to the Fraport news office. At Munich airport, only one runway was open while the other one was being cleared.

In Baden-Wuerttemberg, eight people were injured when a bus skidded off the road near the town of Hemmingen. Long-distance train connections also experienced irregularities in the Frankfurt area.

Agencies Via Xinhua