More than 60 million people are under winter alerts nationwide, with a powerful weather system expected to bring a potent mix of snow, ice and blizzard conditions, accompanied by winds gusting up to 50 mph.
The winter storm, which has already caused snowy and icy conditions in the Central Plains, will create treacherous travel conditions and potential power outages across a vast region stretching from Kansas to the mid-Atlantic.
“For some, this could be the heaviest snowfall in over a decade,” NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center warned.
Major effects, including “considerable disruptions to daily life … dangerous or impossible driving conditions and widespread closures,” are expected from this storm through Monday in parts of the Central and Eastern US, according to the Winter Storm Severity Index.
What to expect when
Of the 60 million people under winter alerts, nearly 4 million are under blizzard warnings across much of eastern Kansas and western Missouri, with a dangerous combination of snow, ice and freezing rain ongoing across Kansas, Missouri, southern Illinois and Indiana and western Kentucky. In addition, thundersnow and thundersleet are being observed.
Throughout the day, the storm will spread east into the Ohio River Valley, then reach the mid-Atlantic later Sunday into much of Monday.
Kansas City, Missouri: Blizzard warning until 12 a.m. CT Monday, peaking Sunday afternoon. Total snowfall expected between 8 and 14 inches with a glaze of ice and winds gusting to 45 mph.
St. Louis: Winter storm warning until 7 a.m. ET Monday, peaking Sunday morning through Sunday evening. Heavy mixed precipitation, icy at first turning to snow. Total snow and sleet accumulations 5 and 9 inches and very light sleet accumulations.
Indianapolis: Winter storm warning through 7 p.m. ET Monday, peaking 1 p.m. Sunday – 7 a.m. ET Monday. Heavy mixed precipitation with total snow accumulations between 6 and 9 inches along with a glaze of ice.
Louisville, Kentucky: Winter storm warning through 7 p.m. ET Monday peaking noon Sunday to 7 a.m. ET Monday, with a secondary snow burst Monday afternoon and evening. Heavy mixed precipitation with total snow accumulations between 5 and 9 inches along with ice accumulations up to three-fourths of an inch.
Cincinnati: Winter storm warning through 12 a.m. ET Tuesday peaking noon Sunday to 7 a.m. ET Monday, with a secondary snow burst Monday afternoon and evening. Heavy mixed precipitation with total snow accumulations between 6 and 12 inches along with ice accumulations up to .1 inch.
Charleston, West Virginia: Winter storm warning through 1 a.m. ET Tuesday peaking 1 p.m. Sunday – 1 p.m. Monday ET, with a secondary snow burst Monday afternoon and evening. Heavy mixed precipitation with total snow accumulations between 4 and 7 inches along with ice accumulations between 1/2 and 1 inch.
Washington, DC: Winter storm warning 10 p.m. Sunday through 1 a.m. ET Tuesday, peaking 1 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday. ET. Snow mixed with sleet with total snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, with some suburban areas potentially getting up to a foot. A trace of ice accumulation.
Philadelphia: Winter weather advisory 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday, peaking between 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET. Snow accumulations between 2 and 4 inches.
Ice could cause hazardous conditions
Meanwhile, an ice storm warning remains in effect until noon CST Monday for areas of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. Travel of any kind in those areas is “strongly discouraged,” as the bridges and overpasses are likely to “become slick and hazardous,” according to the Weather Service.
The greatest risk of dangerous ice will set up just south of the snowiest areas. Significant icing is possible from Kansas and Missouri through the central Appalachians and potentially parts of Maryland and Delaware.
The National Weather Service said “significant icing” is expected.
“Total snow and sleet accumulations up to two inches and ice accumulations between one quarter and three quarters of an inch,” The National Weather Service said. “Persons should delay all travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility.”
The weather service in Topeka, Kansas, warned against traveling in the icy conditions.
“If you are thinking about hitting the road today, think again. Snowplows are getting stuck. Emergency vehicles are getting stuck. If you get stuck, it may be over 24 hours until someone can get to you,” the National Weather Service office in Topeka said on X. “Temperatures will fall below zero tonight. Do not risk it.”
He encountered multiple wrecks and was stalled in traffic for two hours just outside of Salina, Kansas. “Two semi-trucks jackknifed and blocked a westbound lane on Interstate 70,” Cho said. After turning back and overnighting in Abilene, he found himself still stuck.
“Snow is everywhere,” Cho said in a video Sunday morning. “I pray to God I can get home tomorrow.”
The Kansas Turnpike Authority posted photos on X of crashed vehicles near Andover on Sunday afternoon.
“Cabin fever must be setting in based upon the dozen or so crashes in the last few hours,” it said. “Snow plow and trooper’s vehicle also hit; luckily no injuries.” The authority advised residents to shelter in place as “it sure beats waiting on help to rescue you.”
“Conditions are getting a little worse here,” Pritchett said.
Pritchett said he had left Iowa and was traveling on Interstate 29 when the winter storm forced him to pull off the road with his truck and trailer to get somewhere safe.
Ice amounts of 0.25 inches or more are possible, especially in parts of southern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and almost all of Kentucky.
Any amount of ice is dangerous; just a thin layer – a light glaze to just over 0.10 inches – can turn paved surfaces into skating rinks, causing people to slip and vehicles to slide out of control.
Power outages could be widespread and long-lasting if significant icing occurs and power restoration crews can’t navigate treacherous roads. The situation could be dangerous or potentially deadly for those without access to heat in the extreme cold to come.
States prepare
Ahead of the storm, the governors of Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri and New Jersey declared states of emergency, while Maryland’s governor declared a state of preparedness.
“This winter storm will likely cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions on our roads and could cause significant power outages – just 24 hours before it gets dangerously cold,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, according to a release from his office.
Beshear posted on X Sunday, ordering all state office buildings will be closed Monday “due to inclement weather.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said a state of emergency would take effect in parts of the state from 10 p.m. “Throughout our state, we are experiencing severe winter weather resulting in hazardous conditions, with snowfall expected to reach a high of six to eight inches in our southern counties,” Murphy said in a statement.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin advised those with post-holiday travel plans to consider leaving on Saturday instead of Sunday, given the projected size of the storm.
“I’m encouraging all Virginians, visitors, and travelers to stay alert, monitor the weather forecast, and prepare now for any potential impacts,” Youngkin said Friday.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office said in a Saturday news release the state is preparing for the storm, which will “likely affect roads and transportation centers and could cause significant snow accumulation in some parts of the state.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly “issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation,” Saturday afternoon, citing severe winter weather as a cause for concern, according to a news release.
He said the storm comes at a time when western North Carolina is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, noting 8,000 bridges need repairs, keeping homeowners isolated from their communities. “We need to help them to reconnect to their property,” along with emergency services.
The winter storm is due to hit Washington, DC, overnight as Congress prepares to certify the 2024 presidential election results Monday.
Mayor Muriel Bowser told a news conference Sunday afternoon the top priority is getting the city fully opened as soon as possible and urged people to give snowplow teams space to work. “If you don’t need to be on the roads tonight and tomorrow, stay home. Please stay off our roads,” she said.
US federal government offices in Washington, DC, will be closed Monday due to snow, according to the Office of Personnel Management. The closure will not affect Congress.
“We’ve been plowing and salting the roads all day. We have over 200 people that are working hard on our snow team across the entire city,” he said.
“We’re going to keep at it with the freezing temperatures that are projected for the entire week. This is a particularly challenging storm, but we’re going to stay at it.”
The local power company had 1,000 people on standby to work on outages, he said.
As of Sunday evening, more than 113,000 customers were without power in the central US, according to PowerOutage.us. About 31,000 of those affected were in Missouri and 2,400 in Kansas. Another approximately 37,700 customers were without power in Kentucky, 32,900 in Illinois, 1,400 in Indiana and 2,600 in Ohio, according to the site.
On Saturday, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper pleaded for people to not go on the roads as crashes had been reported.
“Please please please, stay home. This is not the time to go out and venture and take in the sights and see the scenery,” Trooper Ben Gardner said on X. “This is the time when we stay home.”
More than 1,500 flights around the US had been canceled and more than 7,100 delayed Sunday as of 8:05 p.m. ET, per flight tracking site FlightAware.
At Kansas City International Airport, 94% of outbound flights and 90% of inbound flights were canceled, according to the website. The airport reopened runways after temporarily halting flights on Saturday due to ice.
More than half of outgoing flights and incoming flights at St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled by Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware.
At Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, 28% of outbound flights – 46 flights – and 49% of inbound flights, or 76 flights, were canceled, FlightAware said.
At Columbia Regional Airport in Columbia, Missouri, there were no flights scheduled Sunday by American Airlines, which serves the small airport.
“Due to deteriorating conditions, American Airlines does not have any commercial flights scheduled to land or take off from Columbia Regional Airport on Sunday, Jan. 5,” the airport said in a statement on its website Sunday morning.
As blizzard conditions began in Topeka, Kansas, on Sunday, strong winds caused snow gusts throughout the area, as seen in video shared by the National Weather Service office in Topeka on Sunday morning.
“More of this can be expected through the day with drifting snow making travel nearly impossible. Stay home and stay safe,” the weather service in Topeka said on X.
The National Weather Service in St. Louis shared NOAA satellite imagery Sunday morning showing green splotches of lightning flashes.
“That means… we are getting thundersnow/thundersleet! This just underscores that snow/sleet rates are pretty heavy – avoid travel if at all possible!” the weather service posted on X.
Potentially historic January snowfall totals
Those with a Monday commute in places like Washington, DC, and Philadelphia might run into hazardous driving conditions as the storm is predicted to lay down several inches of snow. All District of Columbia Public Schools will be closed Monday due to weather conditions, the district said in a post on X Sunday.
The highest snow totals will pile up in the coldest areas, likely in parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. Totals will be lower in areas where warmer air generates sleet and ice instead of snow.
This storm will be capable of unleashing more than a foot of snow and enough ice to knock out power just as the coldest temperatures of the season arrive in its wake. The storm’s forecast has also put several major cities on alert for potentially historic January snowfall totals.
St. Louis has seen only four days when more than a foot of snow fell in a day, a feat which could happen Sunday.
Snow totals could range from an inch to more than a foot in parts of Missouri, depending on the storm’s track. This variable forecast extends to neighboring states as well, where some regions may see snowfall approaching record-breaking levels for January.
Kansas City and Indianapolis are among the metropolitan areas bracing for exceptional snow accumulations.
Kansas City could surpass its January record of 7.2 inches, set in 2011, while Indianapolis is also in the storm’s crosshairs, with forecasts suggesting the possibility of surpassing its January record of 11.4 inches, set in 2014.
Thunderstorms in the South
Those in the South can expect rain and some embedded thunderstorms as a result of this massive winter storm. A level 3 of 5 threat of severe thunderstorms is in place Sunday for parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Damaging wind gusts and hail are the most likely threats from any severe thunderstorm but tornadoes are also possible.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, confirmed in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon a tornado had been recorded near Avery in Lincoln County around 3.05 p.m. ET.
A tornado outbreak, including multiple rated EF3s, rocked parts of the South in late December.
The massive storm will finally exit the East Coast late Monday and fully diminish in impact overnight. But Tuesday, temperature drops of as much as 30 degrees below normal for the eastern two-thirds of the US will lock in whatever snow and ice fall from the storm.