A powerful winter storm has been forecast to slam a vast stretch of the United States this week, with more than 175 million people facing the risk of heavy snowfall, crippling ice, power outages and widespread travel disruption.
Forecasters say Winter Storm Fern is expected to stretch roughly 3,200 kilometres, engulfing areas from Texas and the Great Plains to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states — well over half the length of the continental US.
The storm is forecast to peak on Thursday and Friday.
Forecasters warn that parts of the mid-Atlantic could see more than 30 centimetres of snow, with Virginia and Maryland expected to be among the hardest hit as Arctic air pushes south.
Weather services have also warned of extensive ice accumulation capable of damaging power lines and trees.
In New York City, forecasters say snowfall could reach up to 30 centimetres.
The city has already experienced its coldest temperatures of the winter, with the National Weather Service recording temperatures as low as minus nine degrees Celsius in Central Park, dropping further when wind chill is factored in.
Sub-zero temperatures spread
The National Weather Service said an Arctic cold front will push frigid air across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country.
"Frigid sub-zero and single-digit temperatures will expand from the Northern Plains into the Ohio Valley and the Northeast," it said, warning that wind chills could fall below minus 46 degrees Celsius in parts of the Northern Plains.
Meteorologists say the storm will be fuelled by an extremely cold Arctic air mass colliding with moisture streaming in from the Gulf, creating what they describe as a "major winter storm" capable of producing heavy snow and dangerous ice.
In southern states, where snow-clearing equipment is limited, travel disruptions are expected to be severe.
Authorities have warned that ice could linger for days due to persistently low temperatures.
In Michigan, local road officials have already warned of salt shortages after repeated winter storms this season.
Elsewhere, emergency services are urging residents to limit travel, prepare for potential power cuts and monitor local advisories.
Forecasters caution that while uncertainty remains over exact snowfall and ice totals, the storm has the potential to cause prolonged disruption across large parts of the country.
