Winter storm path: Live updates as brutal mix of snow, ice hits millions
Everything from catastrophic ice accumulation to over a foot of snow and double-digit subzero temperatures are expected to hit places east of the Rocky Mountains.
A fierce winter storm continued its trek across the United States on Saturday after dumping inches of snow on cities including Little Rock, Arkansas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The storm, expected to be the most significant of this winter season, will impact most of the nation east of the Rocky Mountains with snow and ice, and usher in some of the coldest temperatures seen in years, forecasters have said. Americans in most of the eastern half of the country were under extreme winter weather alerts on Saturday.
The storm began out of Texas and Oklahoma Friday evening, hitting the region with heavy sleet and snow. Forecasters have warned of "catastrophic" ice accumulation. On Saturday, the system is expected to push towards Virginia, dumping a foot of snow or more on parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, while New England sees double-digit subzero temperatures.
"Take this storm seriously, folks," the National Weather Service warned in statements on social media. "The cold can be deadly."
By late Friday evening, forecasters in Lubbock, Texas, warned that the mix of falling sleet and snow would make for dangerous driving conditions; thousands of weekend flights were scrapped; Catholic faith leaders from Arkansas to Washington, D.C., gave special permission to miss Mass; Trump administration officials told employees to skip coming into work; and even ice hockey teams were forced to reschedule.
"What makes this storm especially dangerous is the duration of impacts. Some locations could endure 24 hours or more of freezing rain, ice, or snow," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.
Here’s what to know about the weekend’s storm expected to hit tens of millions of Americans.
Where is the winter storm right now? See live weather map
Snow was already falling in the Plains including parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and into Missouri, as well as parts of Texas and Arkansas before noon ET on Saturday. Snow is expected to spread across the country throughout the day on Saturday and into Sunday.
How many states are affected by the winter storm?
Across the U.S. on Saturday, more than three-fourths of the nation (40 states) were under advisories or warnings for freezing rain, snow, cold and extreme cold, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm's effects stretched from eastern Arizona and Utah eastward to include most or all of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Wyoming, the NWS said.
The following states have declared a state of emergency tied to the winter storm: Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt activated the state National Guard on Friday to assist stranded motorists and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday activated state emergency response resources to prepare for the storm.
Daily record cold temperature broken in Michigan
A daily low temperature record was set in Flint, Michigan, on Saturday morning of minus 24 degrees, just one degree warmer than the all-time record low for the observation station, set in January 1976 and February 2015.
Sleet, ice and snapping trees in Texas
In Lubbock, Texas, the weather service reported that it is still seeing a combination of sleet and snow on Saturday.
"It’s exceptionally rare to observe sleet with temperatures this cold," said meteorologist Harrison Sincavage.
In New Mexico, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, the weather service has received reports of trees and limbs snapping under the weight of the ice, and related power outages. In Idabel, Oklahoma, officials reported a half inch of ice accretion on exposed objects.
Millions of Americans living under extreme weather alerts
Extreme winter weather alerts, advisories and warnings blanketed much of the nation on Saturday. At least 167 million people are under either a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory for the weekend.
A stretch from New Mexico, through Tennessee and parts of the Midwest, and into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast was covered by winter storm warnings. Across a swath of the South, 20.3 million people are under an ice storm warning.
How much snow has fallen so far?
A large chunk of the United States woke up to bone-chilling temperatures the morning of Saturday Jan. 24, as well as snow covering the ground .
Some areas including parts of Texas and Oklahoma had already seen at least 6 inches of snow fall in the early morning hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Parts of Tennessee including the small city of Ripley located about 55 miles northeast of Memphis had already seen 4 inches of snow, the National Weather Service reported.
What to do if your travel plans get disrupted by weather
If you were planning to fly this weekend, get ready for disruptions. Monitor updates from your airline and consider rebooking if you can.
If you absolutely have to travel, be prepared to roll with the punches. More flights are likely to get delayed or canceled as the storm progresses. Research your rebooking options and alternative itineraries in advance, and take advantage of airlines'self-service tools to avoid long lines at airport agent desks or long hold times on the phone.
"Speed is going to be critical," Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going, told USA TODAY in a statement. "We want those who are flying to make alternative plans much sooner rather than later so they ensure they get a rebooking that works best for them. There will not be an endless supply of seats to reaccommodate you on ... there is no time like the present to give yourself the best odds at a decent rebooking."
It's also a good idea to pack extra provisions for yourself if you're heading to the airport this weekend.
Airlines will automatically rebook you on another flight if your flight is canceled. If your flight is canceled for any reason and you choose to no longer fly, Department of Transportation rules require the airline to offer you a refund, regardless of ticket type. Read more.
Where did all the snow go? Why it was dry in some areas overnight
Some regions of the United States woke up to much less snow than predicted, or none at all. Here's why that happened, and why it probably won't last.
In the Middle Tennessee region, many were surprised to wake to dry conditions.
"Light snow is already occurring aloft, but the near surface layer is so dry that it is evaporating before reaching the ground," the National Weather Service office in Nashville said. "That will change during the next couple of hours as the lower atmosphere saturates and enables the snow to reach the ground."
In Oklahoma, meteorologists said dry air "ate" snowfall from Friday for the same reason. Although parts of eastern Oklahoma saw several inches of snow Friday night, the totals were less than the most generous predictions that were made over the past few days.
"Forecast models focus heavily on where snow forms in the clouds. They don’t handle the low-level dry air very well, especially in Arctic air masses like this one. So everything looked like a solid snow setup on paper, but the atmosphere below the clouds was basically 'eating' the snow as it fell. Still have tonight!," Independent Tulsa-based meteorologist Mike Collier said.
Thousands of flights canceled as snow, ice storm gets underway
More than 3,400 flights in or out of the United States have been canceled so far as of 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to data from FlightAware.com. Airlines began preemptively canceling flights ahead of the storm's impacts to avoid some of the travel chaos over the weekend.
The airport with the most cancellations in the country on Saturday was the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as of about 10:30 a.m.
More than 6,000 flights have already been canceled for Sunday, the site shows.
"Air travel disruptions are escalating quickly. Flight cancellations are surging nationwide as ice and snow spread through major airport hubs," Pydynowski said.
Cancellations are likely to continue rising as the snow and ice storm spreads across the nation. Travelers are advised to plan ahead and take advantage of the airline waivers available.
DC mayor warns of 'biggest snowstorm in a decade'
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser warned residents to expect the "biggest snowstorm in a decade in DC this weekend."
At least 9 inches of snow are expected in the nation's capital, she said on social media, with a potential for more than 12. She warned the greatest accumulation will be on Saturday night into Sunday morning. An official "snow emergency" declaration will go into effect Saturday at noon and remain until Tuesday morning.
Salt shortages reported in some states
States from Michigan to Vermont are facing salt shortages ahead of the upcoming storm, according to reports by local and national outlets.
Shortages in Vermont result from the frequency of storms this season, according to reporting by Vermont Public. The lack of salt has forced some towns to scale back ice removal.
State officials in Michigan also attributed shortages to the severe winter season, CBS News reported. An official from Monroe County, located between Detroit and Ohio, told the news station that local crews used more salt in December than in the past four Decembers combined.
Officials in Cleveland are telling residents that they may not have enough salt for residential streets. Plows will still be assigned to clear neighborhoods, the city said.
Can Southerners handle snow? These famous winter storms hit the South.
Forecasters are projecting over 6 inches of snow to fall on areas from New Mexico through the Texas Panhandle and Mississippi Valley, while freezing rain and sleet are expected to pound the Southern Plains, the Mid-South, Tennessee Valley and the southern Mid-Atlantic.
For southern states less equipped for the cold, the forecast sparks fears of a repeat of the 2021 Texas freeze or the bitterly cold winter storm that battered New Orleans in January 2025.
Meteorologists have, luckily, said they don't expect this weekend's storm to be as devastating as others in recent Southern history. But as thousands of people have taken to prepping for the worst-case scenario, buying out stores and fortifying their homes, here's a look back at how the U.S. South has endured major winter storms of the past.
The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950: Nov. 22-30, 1950. Thanksgiving weekend in 1950 was marked by a wintry storm that dumped a deadly amount of snow across the Appalachian region. Heavy snowfall blanketed the area in 30 to 50 inches and, in the case of Coburn Creek, West Virginia, a whopping 62 inches, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Storm of the Century: March 12-15, 1993. This Category 5 storm affected over 100 million people and caused the largest weather-related air travel interruption in the U.S., according to NOAA. The heaviest snow fell from the southern Appalachians to the Canadian border, with some locations reporting over 40 inches. Five feet of snow fell in the Smoky Mountain National Park, while 56 inches fell in Mount LeConte, Tennessee, reported the weather service. Read more here about past disasters, from the New Year's Snowstorm of 1964 which dropped more than 17 inches of snow on Huntsville, Alabama to the Christmas Coastal Snowstorm of 1989 that saw all-time low temperatures hit coastal North Carolina.
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