Polar vortex keeps a huge swath of the US in its frigid grip [Video]

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A huge swath of the U.S. was blasted with ice, snow and wind on Monday as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept an area stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the coast of Maine in its frigid grip, making many roads treacherous, forcing school closures and causing widespread power outages.

Ice and snow blanketed major roads in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where that state’s National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. More than 300,000 customers were without power early Monday across Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 kph). The warnings extended to New Jersey for Monday and into early Tuesday.

At the storied Calumet Farm in central Kentucky, the thoroughbreds …