A huge winter storm is expected to affect millions across 22 states

Residents in 22 states are under winter weather alerts this week with a huge storm expected to bring heavy snow and high winds, the National Weather Service says.

The storm “will spread a large swath of heavy snow from the West Coast to the Northeast through Thursday,” the NWS said on Tuesday.

The winter storm will begin in California with heavy snow accumulating in high-elevation areas such as the Sierra Nevada mountains — though there’s a chance residents in central California valleys will also receive a light dusting of snow on Tuesday.