Snow has fallen across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas in an icy lead-up to a winter storm expected to collide with severe Arctic cold and blanket much of the United States over the weekend, stretching from the Rockies to the Eastern Seaboard.
Forecasts indicated that heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, alongside dangerously low temperatures, will move across the eastern two-thirds of the country, disrupting travel and potentially triggering widespread power outages, reports RTE.
At least 14 states and the District of Columbia had declared weather emergencies by yesterday morning, while major US airlines cautioned passengers to remain alert for possible flight delays and cancellations.
“This is a mean storm,” said Jacob Asherman, a meteorologist with the US Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, describing it as the most intense and far-reaching storm so far this season, reports RTE.
Government alerts and advisories for winter storms, ice storms and extreme cold were issued from the southern Rockies eastwards to the mid-Atlantic coast and New England, affecting well over 200 million people.
Snowfall amounts were expected to top a foot in the worst-hit parts of the Rockies, the plains, the mid-Atlantic and the northeast, according to the National Weather Service, reports RTE.
Along the southern edge of the storm’s snow zone, sleet and freezing rain were forecast to coat the southern plains, lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and the southeast with what forecasters described as “catastrophic” ice accumulations.
The most severe conditions were forecast for areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, where ice layers of up to 2.5cm were expected to cover trees, power lines and roads, Mr Asherman said, reports RTE.
Snow began falling yesterday across the south-central plains and was forecast to spread eastward over a wide area, fuelled by two streams of dense moisture – one from the Pacific Ocean and another rising from the Gulf of Mexico.
At the same time, an area of near-record high pressure was moving out of the Rockies, drawing an Arctic air mass into the US and combining with strong winds, Mr Asherman said, reports RTE.
Life-threatening wind-chill values dropped below -45C yesterday in the Dakotas and Minnesota, he said, warning that exposure to such temperatures without adequate clothing “can lead to hypothermia very, very quickly”, reports RTE.
“Even in areas where you expect cold weather in January, this is a really dangerous Arctic blast,” he added, reports RTE.
Below-freezing conditions were forecast to push as far south as the southern plains, lower Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic into early next week, breaking some record-low temperatures in those areas, forecasters said.
Officials warned the combination of cold and ice could result in major travel disruptions and power outages, particularly in regions unaccustomed to severe winter weather, reports RTE.
“Dallas could see a half-inch of ice,” said Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist with private forecasting firm AccuWeather, reports RTE.
“This is going to become treacherous very quickly,” he said, reports RTE.
Residents should brace for “power outages lasting at least several days” in areas affected by ice buildup, even though the storm is forecast to weaken by early Monday, Mr Buckingham said, reports RTE.
In Oklahoma City, where up to 31cm of snow was possible before the weekend ends, coffee shop manager Morgan Mayo said customers were crowding in yesterday morning to escape the bitter cold outside, where temperatures dropped to -13C.
“We’re going to do our darndest to stay open,” even today when the high was expected to reach just 10C, he said, adding: “We have several employees who live in walking distance and are willing to brave the storm”, reports RTE.
The outlook in Texas drew comparisons to a 2021 ice storm that knocked out power to nearly 40% of the state’s energy grid and left more than 2.7 million people without electricity for days.
That storm was blamed for more than 200 deaths, most of them linked to exposure to the cold, reports RTE.
Texas’s main grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said it is prepared for this weekend’s storm and expects “sufficient generation to meet demand this winter”, reports RTE.
In the US capital, where between 10 and 20cm of snow was forecast, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser requested National Guard support with high-clearance vehicles to help first responders navigate the city.
The storm marks the first major challenge for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who assumed office only weeks ago, reports RTE.
He told local broadcaster NY1 that the city’s sanitation staff would become “the nation’s largest snow-fighting operation” ahead of the heavy snowfall expected tomorrow, reports RTE.
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