An explosion of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures Hazardous travel conditions were caused in parts of the central United States on Sunday due to a disruptive phenomenon. winter storm brought the possibility of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” in some areas.
Snow and ice covered major roads throughout most of Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists.
At least eight inches of snow were expected, especially north of Interstate 70, as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions were reported. The warning extended to New Jersey on Monday and into Tuesday morning.
“For locations in this region receiving the highest snow totals, this could be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said Sunday.
Snow falls in St. Joseph, Missouri on Sunday, January 5, 2025.
AP Photo/Nick Ingram
About 63 million people in the United States were under some sort of winter weather advisory, watch or warning as of Sunday, according to Bob Oravec of the National Weather Service.
The polar vortex of ultracold air generally orbits the North Pole. People in the United States, Europe, and Asia experience intense cold as the vortex escapes and expands southward.
Studies show a rapidly warming Arctic is partly responsible for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex which extends its icy grip.
Snow and ice forecast
In Indiana, snow completely covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to implore motorists to stay indoors. away from roads as snow plows worked to keep pace with the precipitation.
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“It’s snowing so hard that the snowplows are coming by, and in less than half an hour the roads are completely covered again,” said Sgt. » said Todd Ringle.
Part of I-70 was closed in central Kansas Saturday afternoon. About 10 inches, or 25 centimeters, of snow fell in parts of the state, with snow and sleet totals expected to exceed 14 inches in parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.
A vehicle drives cautiously on a snow-covered road January 5, 2025 in Shawnee, Kansas.
Chase Castor/Getty Images
Parts of upstate New York saw nearly a foot or more of snow from lake effect that is expected to last through Sunday afternoon.
The storm was then forecast to move through the Ohio Valley and reach the mid-Atlantic states on Sunday and Monday, with severe frost expected as far south as Florida.
Car crashes begin as storm hits
The National Weather Service warned that travel to many states, including Kansas and Missouri, could be “very difficult or impossible.”
Indiana State Police reported a handful of fallouts and accidents Sunday.
The day before, a fire truck, several tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles overturned west of Salina. The rigs also jackknifed and entered ditches, said State Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner.
He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the highway roof as if he were on ice skates. He begged people not to take the roads.
The governors of neighboring Missouri and neighboring Arkansas declared a state of emergency.
Air and rail travel are also struggling
The storms also wreaked havoc on the country’s railways, leading to cancellations. Amtrak said in a statement that “adjustments have been made without any alternative transportation options being offered” for many rail lines.
More than 20 cancellations were planned for Sunday and more than 40 were planned for Monday.
Cancellations affected many parts of the country, but the Midwest was hit particularly hard.
A train between Chicago and New York and several regional trains between Chicago and St. Louis were among those canceled Sunday.
Nearly 200 flights to and from St. Louis Lambert International Airport have been canceled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.
Temperatures are falling, but no records are breaking
From Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience dangerous and freezing cold and wind chill, forecasters say. Temperatures could be 7 to 14°C below normal.
On Sunday in Chicago, temperatures fluctuated between -7 and -10°C in Minneapolis, while they dropped in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Northeast states are more likely to experience several cold days after a generally mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
A plume of cold air from Canada will likely result in a cold but dry week, he said.
Cold air will likely grip the eastern half of the country as far as Georgia, Palmer said, with parts of the East Coast seeing freezing temperatures and lows falling into the single digits in some areas.
The wind could also strengthen as the week goes on, creating potentially dangerous conditions for people exposed to the elements for extended periods of time, Palmer said.
Disturbances extend south
The National Weather Service forecast 8 to 12 inches (about 20 to 30 centimeters) of snow for the Annapolis, Maryland, area, with temperatures remaining below freezing through the weekend.
In a statement on X, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday evening ahead of the storm and encouraged residents to vote ahead of Tuesday’s state special election.
Similar statements were issued in Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and cities in central Illinois.
“This is the real deal,” meteorologist John Gordon said at a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Are meteorologists exaggerating this disproportionately? No.”
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