More than 60 million people are in the path of the dangerous storm, which will plunge the eastern half of the United States into a deep freeze of Arctic air through Monday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of severe weather and severe travel delays with snow, ice and gusty winds across states from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic.
“A devastating winter storm will affect the Central Plains through the Mid-Atlantic Monday with widespread heavy snowfall and damaging ice accumulation,” the NWS said in its latest report.
The agency warned that areas from northeast Kansas to north-central Missouri could see the “most snow in a decade.”
Scientists say extreme weather is becoming more common and more severe as a result of man-made climate change.
Travel, travel issues
With the first major storm of 2025 already wreaking havoc on travel, Kansas City International Airport announced Saturday it was suspending flight operations “due to heavy snow accumulation.”
Parts of eastern New York and Pennsylvania are experiencing “heavy lake-effect snow” from the Great Lakes that could dump up to two feet (61 cm), according to the NWS.
Forecasting company AccuWeather said on Saturday that lake-effect snow totals in the region, already covered in snow this week, could rise to four feet.
The NWS said a blizzard will develop across the central Plains by early Sunday, and “whiteout conditions will make travel extremely hazardous, Impassable roads and high risk of motorists becoming stranded,” the NWS said.
A satellite image of a winter storm on January 5, 2025. – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
A satellite image of a winter storm on January 5, 2025. – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The US capital, Washington, could get five inches or more of snow, with up to 10 inches in nearby areas.
With the jet stream diving southwards, temperatures are expected to drop to -18 degrees Celsius in some places, while gusty winds will heighten the risks.
As far as the US Gulf Coast, the mercury could dip tens of degrees below seasonal norms. Earlier, the NWS forecast, severe thunderstorms are expected in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Another big concern is freezing rain and sleet from Kansas eastward into Kentucky and Virginia, setting the stage for thick snow on roads, making travel dangerous, downing trees and power lines, and potentially But millions of consumers are left without electricity during winter. .
The NWS warned that it expects widespread tree damage and “prolonged power outages” from Kansas to the central Appalachian Mountains.
Conditions could prove particularly dangerous in the Appalachians, where a deadly hurricane in late September devastated communities and devastated several southeastern states, including Kentucky.
Many of these communities are still recovering from the effects of this hurricane.
Gov. Andy Beshear told an emergency meeting that the new storm “will likely cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions on our roads and could cause significant power outages just 24 hours or so before Kentucky gets really cold.” ”
The governors of Missouri and Virginia have declared states of emergency in their states, and have warned residents on social media to expect dangerous weather this weekend.