A powerful winter storm barreled across the United States on Sunday, blanketing vast swathes of the country in snow and ice while plunging temperatures to Arctic lows. Over 60 million Americans in the eastern half of the country are under weather warnings, facing conditions expected to persist through Monday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm warnings across a 1,500-mile stretch from western Kansas to the Mid-Atlantic, forecasting heavy snow, gale-force winds, and damaging ice accumulations. Areas from northeastern Kansas to north-central Missouri are bracing for what meteorologists predict could be the heaviest snowfall in a decade.
The storm has already wreaked havoc on travel. Kansas City International Airport temporarily halted flight operations on Saturday due to rapid ice buildup. Although flights resumed later, severe conditions persist across the Central Plains and Mid-Atlantic.
In New York and Pennsylvania, “lake-effect snow” could add up to two feet in some areas, with AccuWeather projecting totals in parts of the region to top four feet. The blizzard sweeping the Central Plains is expected to cause whiteout conditions, rendering roads impassable and leaving motorists at risk of becoming stranded.
Washington, D.C., is forecasted to see five to 10 inches of snow, while temperatures across much of the eastern U.S. could plunge tens of degrees below seasonal norms. The Gulf Coast won’t be spared, as bitterly cold air is set to push southward, following severe thunderstorms in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Another major concern is freezing rain, particularly from Kansas to Virginia, which could lead to thick ice coating roads, downing trees and power lines, and triggering long-lasting power outages. Governors in Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia have declared states of emergency, urging residents to prepare for hazardous weather.
“This storm will likely cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions on our roads,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said, warning of power outages during the frigid cold snap.
With extreme weather events increasing in frequency, scientists point to climate change as a driving force behind the severity of such storms. For now, millions of Americans are bracing for what could be one of the most impactful winter storms in years.
