A powerful storm barreling across the country toward the Mid-Atlantic States pounded a large area with a cold mix of snow, ice and freezing rain that the Weather Prediction Center warned could bring “significant disruption” to daily life and travel on Sunday and Monday.
A storm blanketed roads across Kansas on Saturday. The storm's effects are expected to extend more than 1,500 miles across a dozen states, from eastern Colorado to Maryland and Delaware.
Another 50 million people will be under winter weather advisories, watches and warnings during the storm.
Power outages, downed trees and traffic disruptions at airports and roads are possible. In Kansas, up to 5,000 people were without power early Sunday.
In extreme cases, whiteouts fueled by storms or snow conditions can make roads impassable and strand drivers, the National Weather Service said.
Several states in the path of the weather system – including Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia – declared states of emergency, while Maryland declared a state of preparedness. The declarations are intended to improve states' response to storms in a variety of ways.
Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana planned to activate the National Guard to help with any highway rescue, said Jane Jankowski, his deputy chief of staff.
The storm hits as Arctic air from Canada moves into the United States.
As the storm system pushes ashore on Monday, “very cold” air will settle in behind it, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
On Tuesday morning, many areas in the storm's path will face snow and ice-covered roads, including Washington, where a procession is planned as part of Jimmy Carter's funeral.
The heaviest snowfall of the decade is expected in some areas
About four million people across Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska were under a snow warning early Sunday that was set to last until 3 a.m. Monday. Some areas were predicted to receive the heaviest snowfall in a decade.
Forecasters warned of wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour and more than 15 inches of snow. Blizzard warnings are issued when heavy snow and wind speeds of 35 mph are forecast for three hours or more.
As a low-pressure system swept across Kansas and Missouri overnight, dozens of highway accidents were reported, including a snowplow that flipped onto its side on an icy road.
“MDOT crews and our Troopers work around the clock, but they, too, are struggling to navigate the busy roads,” the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in an X post, with a picture of an overturned plow, referring to the state. Department of Transportation.
In northern Kansas, a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 70 was closed overnight, according to authorities. The plows will be out at night, said Kim Stich, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Transportation.
In Kansas City, Kan., Brock Graham, manager of the Chateau Avalon Hotel Spa and d'Nile Lounge, a boutique hotel near Interstate 70 on the city's western edge, said most of the hotel's employees were sent home over the weekend.
The hotel was expecting only a few guests after the wave of cancellations. Those who remain at work will not go home until Monday, said Mr. Graham.
“It will be difficult or almost impossible to drive,” said Mr. Graham, added that the shelves of nearby stores were empty. “I think everyone in the area is preparing.”
The storm is forecast to bring snow to the Mid-Atlantic
On Sunday, the system moved from the Central Plains and through the Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley.
In the long range between northeast Missouri and the central Appalachian Mountains, eight to 14 inches of snow is expected Saturday through Sunday and Monday. Southern Illinois and Indiana are forecast to receive several inches of sleet and snow.
In Ohio, where the storm was expected to hit the hilly areas of the state's southeast, thousands of miles of roads had been salted Saturday, said Matt Bruning, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The government is expected to release more than 1,000 ice caps during the storm, he said. Clear, sunny weather is helping Ohio prepare for Saturday.
“Now, we are just waiting for Mother Nature to bring whatever she brings,” said Mr. Bruning.
South of the heavy snow belt, a line of freezing rain is forecast to extend from central Kansas into the central Appalachians through Monday, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Some regions may see snow accumulations in excess of half an inch.
“That rain is going to freeze on contact and turn into ice — that's what sticks to trees, power lines, roads, cars, car windows, everything,” said Rich Bann, a meteorologist at the Prediction Center.
After crossing the central Appalachian Mountains, around Monday morning, the system will move into the Mid-Atlantic.
Showers and thunderstorms are also expected to affect parts of the lower Mississippi Valley, from eastern Texas to Mississippi, throughout Sunday afternoon and evening. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a danger level of three – out of five – for severe thunderstorms for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The main concerns include wind gusts, tornadoes and hail.
By Monday morning, snow will be falling across much of the Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, and is expected to continue throughout the day.
Baltimore is forecast to receive four to nine inches of snow and Washington five to nine inches.
If the system shifts slightly north or south, rates could drop or drop “significantly in either direction,” said Kevin Rodriguez, a National Weather Service forecaster.
By Tuesday, the snow will be gone in the Mid-Atlantic, although light snow may remain over the central Appalachians. Cold and blustery weather is forecast for the rest of the week, with afternoon highs in the 30s in the capital, and overnight lows in the 20s. “It will be very cold for most of the week,” said Mr. Oravec of the Weather Prediction Center. From the Eastern Rockies to the East Coast, temperatures will be about 10 to 12 degrees below seasonal average.
“The snow that falls on the ground will not go anywhere because it will be very cold,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “You'll have snow on the ground for a week.”
Yan Zhuang again Nazaneen Ghaffar reporting contributed.
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