A major winter storm is pummeling the Tri-State Area with snow and ice after New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, is under a winter storm warning until 9 a.m. CT because 1 to 3 inches of snow and gusts up to 40 mph will reduce visibility this morning. In northeast New York and through much of Vermont there is an ice storm warning on Monday morning.

Snow could fall at the stroke of midnight in New York City as crowds heading to ring in the New Year at Times Square have been urged to wrap up for what will be a bitterly cold ball drop

Officials in Vermont and Buffalo, N.Y., warned residents to stay off the roads as a winter weather system brought thick sheets of ice and snow. Tens of thousands of power customers faced outages.

A major new winter storm is expected to bring ice and snow to the upper Midwest on Thursday, with the system moving through the lower Northeast on Friday.

Millions of Americans live in areas under winter storm alerts stretching from northern Minnesota to the Eastern Seaboard.

If you are heading out for any New Year's Eve activities, it will be cold with snow beginning around or before midnight. Be safe on the roads, especially with snow that could cause low visibility. The next chance for some light snow across the area will be late New Year's Eve into early New Year's Day.