Tens of millions of residents along the East Coast are bracing for several inches of snow Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures that will take hold in much of the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine.

A polar vortex is slated to sweep most of the continental US bringing winter storm warnings and a hazardous freeze to millions.

A winter storm is expected to reach Massachusetts Sunday afternoon and dump up to 8 in. of snow in most of the state, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is predicted to spread across the region between 3 p.