Major Winter Storm Begins Dumping Snow, Disrupting Travel in US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Blizzard and winter storm conditions blasted the Midwest early on Jan 5, as a massive weather system began tracking eastward across the United States, with authorities warning of some of the heaviest snowfalls in a decade and severe impact on transport.
Snowfalls of 15 inches (38cm) or more in some areas “will make travel extremely hazardous, with impassable roads”, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in an update early on Jan 5, AFP reported.
That, combined with accumulations of up to a half-inch of ice in some areas – as well as widespread tree damage from powerful wind gusts – could lead to “prolonged power outages”.
The first major storm of 2025 is already disrupting travel. Video posted by the Weather Channel showed cars skidding off ice-coated highways in Kansas and tractor trailers jack-knifing dangerously.
The NWS issued blizzard warnings in Kansas and Missouri, with a belt of winter storm and ice storm warnings stretching all the way to the US capital on the East Coast, putting an unusually broad 1,500-mile (2,400km) swath under immediate threat. American Airlines posted a travel advisory covering 46 airports from Kansas to New Jersey.
A mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow began hitting Kansas early morning on Jan 5. Storm chaser Brian Emfinger said on X that roads around Kansas City were “a skating rink”.
But the latest forecast from the NWS suggested the worst was yet to come, with “blizzard conditions” and winds up to 50 mph (80 kmh) expected in the state.
As the storm accumulates through Jan 6, “the snow will significantly reduce visibilities”, the NWS said.
A band of eight to 14 inches of snow is expected to be dumped from north-east Missouri through the Central Appalachians, it said.
Areas around Washington could see up to 10 inches overnight on Jan 5 into Jan 6, making “hazardous travel and closings” likely, the Washington Post reported.
That could complicate the task of US lawmakers, who by constitutional mandate must meet on Capitol Hill on Jan 6 to certify the winner of last year’s presidential election.
“Whether we’re in a blizzard or not,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News Sunday, “we cannot delay that certification... I hope we have full attendance.”
A joint session is to convene at 1pm (2am on Jan 7, Singapore time).
Nationwide, nearly 70 million people are under some sort of weather alert, according to broadcaster CNN.
With the jet stream diving southward, temperatures are expected to plunge, in some places to below 0 deg F (-18 deg C), while strong wind gusts compound the dangers.
The mercury could sink tens of degrees below seasonal norms down to the US Gulf Coast. Before then, severe thunderstorms are expected across the lower Mississippi Valley, the NWS forecast.
Another major concern is freezing rain and sleet. A thick coating of ice could make travel hazardous, bring down trees and topple electricity lines.
The NWS predicted up to 0.5 inches of freezing rain over parts of the Middle Mississippi/Ohio Valley, and warned that “long-lasting power outages” could leave millions of customers without power from Kansas to the central Appalachian Mountains.
Conditions could prove especially perilous in Appalachia, where a deadly hurricane in late September 2024 devastated communities and ravaged multiple south-eastern states including Kentucky.
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 it’s going to get really cold in Kentucky”, Governor Andy Beshear told an emergency meeting.
The governors of Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia have declared a state of emergency in their states, and have taken to social media to warn residents to stay at home.
