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Winter Storm Warnings For 50 Million Across U.S. — Here’s What States May Be Impacted

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Winter Storm Warnings For 50 Million Across U.S. — Here’s What States May Be Impacted

Topline

Some 50 million people are under winter weather warnings as the first winter storm of the new year is slated to begin Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, producing hazardous travel conditions, multiple days of heavy snow, ice and potentially record-setting low temperatures in the midwest, south and east.

Key Facts

The storm, which the NWS said will produce “Arctic outbreaks,” is expected to first impact the Central Plains late Saturday, move across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys Sunday and track into the Mid-Atlantic states by Sunday night.

Regions between central Kansas and Indiana have anywhere from a 60% to 90% to experience at least eight inches of snow, according to the NWS, which noted areas with the highest snow totals may see their “heaviest snowfall in at least a decade.”

The NWS is also forecasting potential whiteout conditions in the Central Plains on Sunday morning, with 35 mph and up wind gusts and heavy snowfall possibly creating blizzards.

Significant icing potential is forecast for the mid-south, with hazardous sleet and freezing rain expected to stretch from eastern Kansas and the Ozarks to the Ohio valley.

Significant sleet and freezing rain may potentially affect the Ozarks and extend to the Tennessee and lower Ohio valleys, as well as the southern Appalachians, the NWS said in a post Thursday.

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What States Will Be Most Impacted By The Winter Storm?

Areas with low to high probabilities of at least eight inches of snow include southern Nebraska, much of Kansas, southern Iowa, central and northern Missouri, central Illinois, southern Indiana, southern Ohio, northern West Virginia, northern Virginia, nearly all of Maryland, Washington, D.C., far southern Pennsylvania and most of Delaware. Meanwhile, regions that could potentially see at least a quarter of an inch of ice accumulation include southeast Kansas, southern Missouri, far southern Illinois, much of Kentucky, northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, according to the NWS.

Will Travel Be Impacted By The Winter Storm?

The NWS said in a statement Friday that “travel of all kinds will likely be very difficult and extremely dangerous” in areas with expected heavy snow and/or significant icing. It remains unclear what impact the winter storm will have on flight departures and arrivals, though the Federal Aviation Administration regularly updates its page on X, formerly known as Twitter, with potential weather effects on flight statuses nationwide.

Surprising Fact

The cold temperatures accompanying the storm could produce the coldest January in the U.S. since 2011, according to AccuWeather expert Paul Pastelok, who noted the storm’s arctic outbreak will “involve many days and not just be a quick one-to-three-day event.”

Key Background

NOAA’s winter outlook issued in October predicted fair to likely chances for above average seasonal temperatures this winter in the southwest, south and eastern U.S. It also predicted wetter-than-average conditions for the northern half of the continental U.S. and drier-than-average conditions from much of the southwest to the southeast, Gulf Coast and lower Mid-Atlantic regions. The forecasts follow the warmest fall experienced in the U.S. in NOAA’s 130-year climate record, with the average fall temperature reaching 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 4.1 degrees above average.

Further Reading

U.S. Winter Outlook: Warmer and drier South, wetter North (NOAA)

Fall 2024 was nation’s warmest on record (NOAA)

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