At least 17 states have declared states of emergency and more than 2,300 in, into or out of the US have reportedly been canceled due to winter storm warnings, heavy rainfall and snow in parts of the US over the weekend. This disrupted the travel plans of many and threatened power outages for much of the nation.
Here are the main updates you need to know:
1. The storm is expected to last nearly 2,400 kilometers and bring heavy snow, crippling ice and freezing winds to some of America’s largest cities, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that the storm’s snow and ice will stretch eastward over 2,000 miles from Texas to New England over the weekend. More than half of all Americans will experience freezing temperatures next week.
2. According to ABC News, at least 17 states have declared states of emergency as the storm approaches. These include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
3. “A snow emergency that goes into effect Saturday at noon means residents must move vehicles off snow emergency roads. The emergency is impacting county traffic…,” Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote on X.
“Current projections call for at least nine inches of snow, with the potential for more,” Bowser said. “Freezing rain is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, which will increase the risk conditions.
4. The report added that one of the biggest dangers of this storm is ice in the south. Worse ice could hit Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; north of the Atlanta area; Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and Washington, DC.
5. According to FlightAware, nearly 6,000 flights were canceled across the U.S. over the weekend. According to FlightAware, more than 2,836 flights were canceled as of 6:00 AM IST on Saturday. More than 3,587 flights have been canceled so far on Sunday, with the numbers changing in real time.
According to CNN, Sunday just became the worst day for US flight cancellations in the past year, breaking the record set by Saturday’s numbers less than an hour ago.
6. State and local officials warned residents to prepare for power outages, frozen pipes and impassable roads. Shoppers in Falls Church, Va., lined up outside a Trader Joe’s grocery store before it opened Friday, while shelves at a nearby Harris Teeter grocery store quickly emptied.
7. The snowfall is likely one of the most extensive in the U.S. since the “Superstorm of 1993,” Rob Carolan, executive director of Hometown Forecast Services, told Bloom berg.
8. Schools across the country are canceling classes ahead of a massive winter storm that is forecast to hit several states.
9. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has reportedly issued a disaster declaration for most counties in the state, which is facing its biggest test since a deadly winter storm and widespread outages that followed nearly five years ago.
The biggest challenge for Texas may come Monday morning, when the balance between energy supply and demand will be tightest. According to Amperon CEO Sean Kelly, electricity supplies may also be affected due to minimal wind from Saturday to Monday afternoon, reducing the output of wind farms.
10. Natural gas prices were on a tear this week ahead of the storm, with futures rocketing more than 70% to more than $5 per million British thermal units in the first month. Gas climbed to $75 on Williams Co.’s Transco pipeline early Friday. serving the Carolinas, Baltimore and New Jersey. Gas on the Enbridge Inc. system connecting eastern Pennsylvania to Jersey rose as high as $100, according to traders, Bloomberg reported.
