More US states declare emergency as monster winter storm barrels across nation
Brutal winter storm sweeps across the country, leaving millions at risk from power failures, hazardous roads, cancelled flights, and life-threatening snow and ice.
A monster winter storm is set to batter large parts of the United States, putting millions at risk from a dangerous mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from Friday into early next week.
New York declared a state of emergency on Friday as the state, along with a vast stretch of the country, prepared for the storm as it drives east.
Forecasters warn the storm will bring hazardous conditions across much of the nation, combining ice, snow and plunging temperatures.
As Arctic air and snow squalls spread through the weekend, electricity grid managers from the Midwest to the East Coast have cautioned that widespread power outages are possible.
Utilities have been told to delay routine maintenance on power plants and transmission lines so systems are fully available during and after the storm.
Heavy snow and freezing rain are expected to load tree branches and power lines with ice, increasing the risk of breakages that can knock out electricity to homes and businesses for extended periods.
More than 160 million people, from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England, are forecast to face winter weather hazards in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Centre.
Most roads are likely to become slick with snow and ice, while accumulating ice threatens power infrastructure.
“No state will be immune from feeling the effect of Mother Nature’s wrath on this weekend,” New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said during a Friday morning news conference.
Snowstorm sweeps US
Around two-thirds of the US population is now in the path of the storm and the accompanying extreme cold. Snow and ice are expected to stretch more than 2,000 miles from Texas to New England as the system tracks east.
Forecasters warn of a potentially catastrophic ice storm in parts of the South, where severe ice accumulation could bring down power lines. Hundreds of thousands of customers could lose power, with some outages lasting several days.
Travel disruption is already mounting. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in advance of the storm, and authorities say driving conditions could range from hazardous to impossible across large areas of the storm’s footprint.
The cold is expected to be intense and prolonged with bitter temperatures will keep snow and ice locked in place and could leave people without power exposed to the cold for days.
At least 12 states have issued states of emergency to mobilise resources and prepare for the storm. Kentucky and New York joined the list on Friday morning, alongside Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster across 134 counties to speed up emergency preparations. The approaching storm has revived painful memories of the deadly winter weather and Arctic blast in 2021 that crippled the state’s power grid.
Abbott said the grid is ready this time, adding, “There is no expectation whatsoever that there’s going to be any loss of power from the power grid.”
Airlines are also preparing for disruption. American Airlines said it is repositioning aircraft and boosting staffing ahead of the storm, as major US carriers brace for severe conditions affecting more than half the country.
American and other airlines have issued travel alerts and waived change fees for passengers scheduled to fly this weekend.