Almost every US state is under a weather alert as storms sweep across the country

Almost every U.S. state is under some weather alert as snow, rain and freezing cold temperatures hit various part of the country.

Almost every single U.S. state is under some form of weather alert ranging from flood watches in the east to blizzard warnings in Iowa to wind chill warnings for over a dozen states in the central U.S.

The Northeast has been getting drenched by rain for the past 24 hours, but it is expected to taper off as the day continues.

In the upper Midwest, heavy snow and gusty winds have caused whiteout conditions as a blizzard rages. Des Moines, Iowa, has been hit with nine inches of snow and Davenport -- located on the eastern border with Illinois -- was hit with 15 inches.

In addition to the snow totals, winds gusting over 45 miles per hour have led to rough travel conditions with blowing and drifting snow.