More than 160 million Americans are expected to face an unusually brutal winter storm with heavy snow and blizzards expected starting Friday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm was expected to create “very hazardous” conditions as it swept across much of the United States, tracking east through the High Plains and Rocky Mountains.
The Arctic blast will bring sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, “creating life-threatening risks of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin,” it warned.
U.S. transportation officials, including airport authorities in several major cities, warned of weekend travel disruptions, delays and cancellations.
What is the expected path of the storm?
The winter storm is expected to move slowly across the United States, blanketing cities including Memphis, Nashville, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York with snow.
Heavy snow is expected to travel through the southern Rockies and Plains, through the Mid-Atlantic, and into the Northeast.
Areas that could see more than a foot of snow stretch from Colorado to West Virginia to Boston, according to the NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal.
The NWS expects 10 to 14 inches of snow to fall in northeastern New Jersey and southeastern New York, including New York City, early Sunday through Monday. And wind chills as low as -10F (-23C) are expected in the same area from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
Much of southern New England, including Boston, is expected to see 12 to 17 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 30 mph from Sunday through Monday, the NWS said. Wind chills there can reach -15F (-26C) Friday through Saturday.
Numerous low temperature records are likely to be broken, with the coldest wind chills potentially dropping below -50 F (-46 C) across the Northern Plains, according to the NWS.
A much larger area of the southeastern United States is also expected to experience freezing temperatures.
How is the state preparing for the storm?
Governors in several U.S. states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, have declared states of emergency and allowed emergency officials, including the National Guard, to mobilize response efforts.
At a press conference Friday, New York Gov. Cathy Hochul said the state had more than 1,600 snowplows and 114,000 tons of salt stockpiled in preparation for the storm, which would ensure that no part of the state “will be unaffected by Mother Nature’s wrath.”
Prime Minister Ho Chol urged residents to work from home, stock up on groceries and essentials in advance and be careful when shoveling snow, as it can increase the risk of heart attack.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that the city will deploy thousands of sanitation workers, 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 snowplows this weekend if 2 inches of snow accumulates. Subways and buses will be running this weekend, but he urged New Yorkers to stay home if possible.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he has “no expectation” that the state’s power grid will fail, as it did in 2021 when major storms killed hundreds of people in the state.
AFP via Getty ImagesHe emphasized that falling ice and snow may cause power outages in some areas, but this is different from a large-scale power grid failure.
“Local electric utilities have never been better prepared for a winter storm,” Abbott said.
Some airlines have given passengers the option to change their flights without additional fees due to concerns about cancellations.
NWS meteorologists Rich Otto and Tony Fracasso told the BBC’s US news partner CBS that motorists should avoid driving over the weekend as “travel is expected to be nearly impossible during the peak of the storm.”
Meanwhile, in Canada, freezing temperatures are already hitting the country and snow is expected to fall in the eastern and Atlantic regions on Monday, meteorologist Jeff Coulson told CBC earlier this week.
Even after storms pass through the United States this weekend, a strong Arctic air mass originating from Canada will keep temperatures frigid in the eastern United States through next week, according to the NWS Weather Prediction Center.
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