What to know
- A major winter storm moved east today from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic, producing heavy to moderate snow and making travel hazardous with icy roads.
- At least four people have died in multiple states as a result of the weather.
- Winter alerts covered 62 million people stretching from Illinois to southern New Jersey. Nearly 18 inches of snow fell in central Kansas, and parts of upstate New York were buried in over 6 feet of snow.
- Over 300,000 customers lost power and nearly 2,000 flights were canceled across the country amid the storm.
As eastern half of U.S. gets snow, California faces fire weather
As much of the country braved horizontal snow flurries and frigid temperatures, California faced the flip side of such winter treachery — warm days, dry winds and their dreaded sum: fire weather.
The forecast is not that unusual, especially after back-to-back winters of prodigious rain and snow. The National Weather Service, however, calls for "extreme fire weather" tomorrow and Wednesday that will be caused by a "life-threatening and destructive windstorm," according to its regional messaging.
A red flag warning is in effect for more than 18 million people today, according to the weather service. It signals a forecast of winds greater than 20 mph and relative humidity of less than 25%, among other factors, and it is the weather service's most dire alert for fire conditions.
For tomorrow and Wednesday, the weather service's Oxnard, California, office forecasts 80 mph to 100 mph offshore winds in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and 50 mph to 80 mph offshore winds for the coastal flatlands, inland valleys, and omnipresent canyons of the Los Angeles area.
The weather service's San Diego office said the winds and warmth could linger through Thursday for parts of Southern California such as Orange County and the Inland Empire, where gusts of 50 mph were also forecast.
High wind warnings were otherwise scheduled from tomorrow morning through Wednesday for urban Southern California from Ventura County to the Mexico border.
Forecasters say a low pressure system expected to park over northern Mexico will help push winds from the north or the northeast over the desert and mountains toward the ocean, the opposite of the typical onshore weather pattern and one that heats the air as it compresses and descends from the higher elevations east of the state's biggest cities.
The offshore winds, also known as Santa Ana winds, have the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on edge. It said it is moving 45 engine teams and six hand crews of firefighters from Northern California to the southern half of the state to prepare, according to a statement.
And, noting that 95% of wildfires are human-caused, it is urging Californians to be careful with tow chains, parking locations near brush, and mowing and trimming, which should be put off, the department said in a statement.
Volunteer drivers keep first responders moving in Kansas City snow
Members of the KC Off Road Snow Squad hit the road during this weekend's record snowfall in Kansas City, Missouri, to help nurses, doctors and first responders make it to work.
Runways shutting down at D.C.-area airport for crews to clear snow and ice
Ronald Reagan National Airport, in Virginia just outside Washington's city limits, said it was temporarily closing down its runways tonight.
The airport wrote on X that it would allow its crews to "focus on snow removal and prevent refreezing on the airfield." All inbound flights were being held at their airports of origin until at least 6 p.m. ET, according to Flight Aware.
Storm creates winter wonderland for playful pandas
For some furry friends, the severe snow has created a welcome wintry playground.
Pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao enjoyed frolicking in about 5 inches of snow that blanketed the Washington, D.C., area and their outdoor habitats at the National Zoo this morning,
The zoo shared video of the bears rolling around in the snow and playing in snow-dusted trees.
The sweet duo will make their public debut at the zoo on Jan. 24.
Two-thirds of the U.S. in temps 10 to 20 degrees below average
As the storm heads east off the mid-Atlantic, a deep chill has settled in along the eastern two-thirds of the country, with temperatures forecast to remain 10 to 20 degrees below average through midweek. Little improvement is expected after that: Temperatures are still forecast to stay below average through the end of the week.
Tomorrow will be blustery across the Northeast, with favorable conditions for lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes and some upslope snow in northern New England.
Meanwhile, meteorologists are already keeping an eye out for the next winter storm, which could come Thursday through Saturday. While there is still high uncertainty about exactly where the heaviest snow could fall, the trend is for wintry precipitation to hit areas from Texas to the mid-Atlantic.
The storm is expected to develop Thursday over the southern Plains, where rain, snow and ice could break out in cities like Oklahoma City and Dallas, as well as Little Rock, Arkansas, overnight into Friday.
On Friday, the storm is forecast to move east, bringing rain and storms to the Gulf Coast and the Southeast and snow to the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Nashville, Tennessee, may get snow.
And on Saturday, snow could hit parts of the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, but the track of the storm is still largely unpredictable.
Missouri highway patrol responded to over 1,000 stranded motorists
The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to calls for over 350 crashes and over 1,000 stranded motorists as the winter storm barreled through yesterday.
Overall, there were over 2,000 calls for service through last night, including one death.
Winter weather leaves nearly 320,000 without power across 7 states
The storms have caused electrical outages for hundreds of thousands of people, with nearly 320,000 customers without power as of 2 p.m. ET, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us.
States spanning Missouri to Virginia reported tens of thousands of outages apiece. Texas also reported some outages, with 5,931 customers in the dark.
Virginia had the most customers without power: 90,790. Here are the number of power outages elsewhere:
- Kentucky: 64,448
- Indiana: 49,904
- West Virginia: 45,514
- Illinois: 34,920
- Missouri: 27,715
At least 4 killed in winter storm
At least four people have died in the winter storm that hit from the central part of the country to the mid-Atlantic yesterday into today.
In Missouri, Everett Carter, 61, a public works employee, suffered a fatal injury while he was performing snow removal operations, Jackson County officials said.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that two people were killed in a weather-related crash in southwest Wichita yesterday.
A GMC Yukon SUV was heading south on I-235 when it began rotating because of the weather. It went down an embankment, rolled over “an unknown number of times” and ultimately landed upright.
“Both occupants were unrestrained and ejected from the vehicle,” the highway patrol said. The victims were identified as Nathaniel Boyd, 24, of Wichita, and Whitney Almond, 26, of Clearwater.
In Texas, a person was found dead because of cold weather at 6700 N. Cesar Chavez Blvd. near Canal Street in Houston around 7:30 this morning local time (8:30 a.m. ET), the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County said. Metro police are investigating the case as the body was found directly in front of a bus shelter.
Flight delays hit 4,700 and nearly 2,000 flights canceled
The number of delays within, into or out of the U.S. has mounted to over 4,700 as of 2 p.m. ET.
Nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the country have also been canceled, according to FlightAware data.
Louisville, Kentucky, gets largest single-day snowfall in over 25 years
In what the mayor of Louisville called a "very significant event," the winter storm has dropped the largest single-day snowfall in the city in more than 25 years.
Mayor Craig Greenberg encouraged drivers at a news conference today to stay off the roads. Snow totals at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport measured 9 inches last night, said John Gordon of the National Weather Service forecast office in Louisville.
That's the most snow in a single day since Feb. 4, 1998, when 11.6 inches fell on the city, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Gordon said another inch was expected over the coming hour or so and added that the wind was also a factor, with wind chills later this week forecast to be as low as 5 below zero.
Some power outages have been reported, and officials warned there could be more. Greenberg said libraries were open as warming centers.
"We take care of one another, and we've shown that through storms like this," he said.
Missouri public works employee dies removing snow
Jackson County, Missouri, officials announced today that an employee was fatally injured yesterday while he was performing snow removal operations.
Everett Carter, 61, who “dedicated 40 years of service to Jackson County, including the last 8 years with the Public Works team,” died as he was working in the unincorporated area of Blue Summit, officials said.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. Following this tragedy, snow removal operations were paused yesterday and resumed today at 7 a.m. Thank you for your understanding and patience,” the county said in a statement.
Jackson County is cooperating with the Missouri State Highway Patrol as it investigates.
“This incident serves as a solemn reminder of the dedication and risks faced by public servants like Mr. Carter, who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities,” the release said.
Hundreds of crashes and stranded drivers reported in storm
The winter storm has wreaked havoc on roads in multiple states.
Since 1 a.m., Maryland State Police have responded to 475 calls for service — including 123 reported crashes and 156 unattended vehicles.
Maryland is under a state of emergency because of the storm, and state officials have urged people to avoid travel.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, state police said dispatchers received over 1,450 calls — a 70% increase compared to normal — from yesterday to today. Troopers had also assisted nearly 300 stranded motorists since the storm started, according to Kentucky State Police.
Parts of New York hit with multiple feet of snow
Snowfall reports continue to roll in this morning.
As much as 18 inches of snowfall was reported near I-70 in Kansas, the National Weather Service reported.
Meanwhile some areas of New York clocked over 6 feet of snow. Oneida County in central New York recorded 75 inches of snow, or 6.25 feet. Also in New York, Taberg recorded nearly 5.5 feet and Dolgeville hit 5 feet, according to the weather service's data.
Jaguars return home after getting stuck on tarmac for 7 hours during storm
The Jacksonville Jaguars returned home early Monday after spending seven hours waiting through a winter storm on the tarmac at Indianapolis International Airport.
The National Weather Service reported heavy snow — between 2 and 5 inches — freezing drizzle and wind gusts of up to 40 mph in central Indiana.
The Jaguars (4-13) had hoped to get out of Indy before the worst of it, but their game against the Colts went to overtime and caused enough of a delay that players, coaches and staff got stuck. The Jaguars lost 26-23.
Their charter flight finally was cleared to leave at 1 a.m. EST and landed in Jacksonville two hours later. It delayed owner Shad Khan’s scheduled meeting with coach Doug Pederson to decide their path moving forward.
The Kansas City Chiefs avoided traveling in the storm by remaining overnight in Denver following their game against the Broncos.
NWS urges drivers to stay off icy roads, properly clear vehicles of snow if they must travel
The National Weather Service posted a tutorial video on X on how to properly clear a vehicle that's covered with snow and ice. But the agency warned drivers to stay off icy roads if at all possible.
Delays at O'Hare from snow and ice
A ground stop was issued this morning at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago because of snow and ice through 9 a.m. CT (10 a.m ET).
A ground delay was in place at the airport through 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET), with the FAA saying delays are averaging 131 minutes.
It comes as the number of delays within, into or out of the U.S. has climbed to over 2,000 and cancellations are over 1,500 as of 10:30 a.m. ET, according to FlightAware.
Another winter storm set to hit later this week
Another winter storm will batter the South to Mid-Atlantic Thursday through Saturday.
There is still high uncertainty regarding where the heaviest snow could fall, but trends show wintry precipitation could hit areas from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic.
The storm will develop over the southern Plains on Thursday, with rain, snow and ice in Oklahoma City, Dallas and Little Rock overnight into Friday. On Friday, the storm will move east, bringing rain and storms to the Gulf Coast/Southeast and snow to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and on Saturday snow could fall in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Top snowfall totals so far by state
- 18 inches in Chapman and St. George, Kansas
- 13 inches in Cameron, Missouri
- 11 inches in Mason, West Virginia
- 9.5 inches in Chatham, Illinois
- 9.3 inches in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
- 8.5 inches in Centerville, Ohio, and Ferdinand, Indiana
- 8.4 inches in Hebron, Kentucky
Full forecast: 62 million under winter alerts, from Illinois to southern New Jersey
This morning 62 million people are under winter alerts stretching from eastern Illinois to southern New Jersey.
Snow is tapering off across portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio but still falling heavily across Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. A mix of freezing rain and sleet is also falling across southern Virginia and northern North Carolina.
The winter storm will continue east today, with snow off the Atlantic coast by midnight tonight.
Washington, D.C., will see snow until about 10 a.m., a lull of no snow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by another burst of light snow through 10 p.m., with an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow possible. Philadelphia will see light snow wind down by around 3 to 4 p.m. and is forecast to see an additional 2 inches of snow. New York could see a period of light snow on the northern edge of the storm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 1-inch dusting of snow possible.
Meanwhile, 47 million people are under cold advisories this morning from Nebraska to central Florida. Bitterly cold air will grip most of the eastern half of the country through the rest of the week, where temperatures will dip to 10-30 degrees below average. Wind chills will be as cold as single digits for major metro areas like New York City, with sub-zero wind chills for the northern Plains and Midwest.
Kansas City comes to a halt after weekend winter storm and freezing temperatures
Reporting from KANSAS CITY, Missouri
Kansas City, Mo., received nearly a foot of snow over a single day, forcing road and air traffic to come to a halt. NBC News’ Maggie Vespa reports why officials are saying it will take a few days to clean out the snow.
Over 1,000 U.S. flights canceled amid winter storm
More than 1,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been delayed today and more than 1,400 were canceled as of 8:30 am., according to FlightAware.
The greatest number of cancellations are at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland, Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, St. Louis Lambert International in Missouri, as well as Dallas Fort Worth International and Chicago’s O’Hare International.
Washington gears up for community snowball fight
It's havoc on the roads and many flights are canceled — but not everyone is upset at the winter blast affecting much of the Midwest and the mid-Atlantic.
The DC Snowball Fight Association, as its name suggests, will hold a snowball fight in a Washington park today 11 a.m. ET. The group says this marks the 15th year it has been organizing snowball warfare in the city.
More than 300,000 energy customers now without power
The number of energy connections lost during the severe winter weather has risen to more than 334,000 as of 8.30 am. ET, according to PowerOutage.com. The worst affected state is Virginia with almost 90,000 customers in the dark.
Crews clear snow from the steps of the Capitol
Schools close across states in the East because of the weather
Schools are closed today in several areas along the East Coast because of the winter storm.
D.C. Public Schools, the local public school system for Washington, D.C., will be closed today. Alexandria Public Schools, Arlington County Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia are also closed today. Culpeper County Public Schools in Virginia will be closed today for students and staff, as well as tomorrow for students but will be a workday for staff.
In Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools are also closed.
All Philadelphia School District Schools are also closed today, the city previously said. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Archdiocesan high schools will have a “flexible instruction day” and elementary schools will be closed, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said.
Whiteout conditions persist in Wichita, Kansas
Heavy snow in Wichita, Kansas, meant low visibility and treacherous conditions this morning, as captured by one resident in the south of the city.
Winter blast causes airport chaos, road mayhem and school closures
The major winter storm affecting a large swath of the country has created mayhem on roads in the Midwest with dangerous snow and ice, and power outages.
Some parts of the Midwest have been buried in nearly 14 inches of snow. School has been canceled in districts from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. — which could see up to a foot of snow.
Yesterday, the last day of the extended holiday season, airports saw more than 6,000 flight delays and more than 1,500 cancellations, stranding passengers from coast to coast with St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, seeing between 60% to 90% of all flights canceled.
NBC’s Al Roker said the storm is heading to the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast today impacting people from Champaign, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky, all the way to the East Coast, including Philadelphia and Washington. He said more snow is on the way, with another 6 to 8 inches of snow in lower New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Maryland.
Winter storm won't stop Congress from certifying election results, House speaker says
The intense winter storm causing havoc for millions will not stop Congress from certifying the 2024 election results, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday.
"The Electoral Count Act requires this on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. So, whether we’re in a blizzard or not, we’re going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," he told Fox News in an interview.
Washington is set to be among the worst-hit areas, with as much as a foot of snow predicted to fall today, making travel conditions extremely hazardous.
Kansas City received 11 inches of snow, 4th highest single day snowfall on record
In a sign of just how powerful this storm is, the 11 inches of snow that fell on Kansas City International Airport yesterday was the fourth highest daily snowfall total since records began in 1888.
It's still some way behind the all-time record of 16.1 inches, set in 1912.
More than 250,000 without power across the Midwest and the East Coast
A quarter of a million energy customers were in the dark early this morning as severe weather hits a huge swath of the eastern United States.
There were 259,000 severed connections at 6 a.m., according to PowerOutage.com, including 81,000 in Kentucky and 61,000 in Indiana.
As the winter storm eases, many will still experience frigid temperatures
NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman has the latest forecast, predicting temperatures well below average for the week ahead.
More than 1,300 flights canceled across the U.S. today
Miserable conditions for travelers persist into this morning, with 1,309 flights canceled across the United States and another 482 delayed, according to data from FlightAware.
FlightAware's real-time "Misery Map" showed at 5.30 a.m. ET that the worst affected airport was Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with 72 flights canceled.
Risk of thunderstorms for the Southeast today
While the central Plains and the mid-Atlantic are blasted with ice and snow, the Southeast could see some strong to severe thunderstorms today, the National Weather Service warned.
There is a 1 in 5 risk of severe thunderstorms across the region through tomorrow morning, it said, bringing frequent lightning, severe wind gusts and isolated tornadoes.
Dire conditions expected for East Coast commuters this morning
As much as an inch of snow per hour is forecast to fall on Washington this morning, with travel conditions expected to deteriorate.
The National Weather Service office for Washington-Baltimore said that during the heaviest snow, between midnight and midmorning today, "even primary and treated roads will be impassible."
"It is highly recommended to postpone non-essential travel," the office said.
Almost 60 million impacted by snow and ice, with winter storms warnings from St. Louis to Washington
Some 57 million people are under winter weather alerts and advisories this morning as a significant winter storm makes its way east.
The storm will move off the mid-Atlantic later today, but until then people in affected areas can expect "a tough morning commute and a tough evening commute," NBC meteorologist Michelle Grossman said on "Early TODAY" this morning.