Death toll from deadly winter storm climbs to 23 in the United States

The storm began to form on Thursday, strengthening over the Northern Plains and affecting the Rockies, the Northern Plains, and the Midwest.

It began to intensify over the next day, with The Weather Channel predicting that it would turn into a bomb cyclone.

A weather warning has been issued for more than 200 million people or roughly 60 percent of the US population, and the bitter cold is predicted to last through the Christmas holiday.

According to local sources, more than 1.6 million homes and businesses across the country had lost power due to stormy conditions. (ILKHA)