“Brace Yourself: Treacherous Travel Conditions on the Horizon!”

Topline

Approximately 50 million individuals are currently under winter weather alerts as the inaugural winter storm of the new year is anticipated to commence on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. This will result in treacherous travel scenarios, several days of substantial snowfall, ice, and potentially record-breaking low temperatures across the midwest, south, and east.

Key Facts

Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts to ensure you stay informed on the major stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.

What States Will Be Most Impacted By The Winter Storm?

Regions with varying probabilities of encountering at least eight inches of snow encompass 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. Additionally, areas potentially facing 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 Affected By The Winter Storm?

The NWS commented in a statement on Friday that “travel of all forms will likely become very challenging and highly perilous” in regions expecting heavy snow and/or significant icing. It remains uncertain how the winter storm will impact flight departures and arrivals; however, the Federal Aviation Administration frequently updates its page on X, previously known as Twitter, concerning potential weather-related effects on flight statuses across the country.

Surprising Fact

The frigid temperatures accompanying the storm could result in the coldest January in the U.S. since 2011, as per AccuWeather specialist Paul Pastelok, who remarked that the storm’s arctic outbreak will “entail several days and not merely act as a rapid one-to-three-day event.”

Key Background

NOAA’s winter outlook released in October anticipated fair to likely chances for above-average seasonal temperatures this winter in the southwest, south, and eastern U.S. It also projected wetter-than-average conditions for the northern tier of the continental U.S. and drier-than-average conditions for much of the southwest, southeast, Gulf Coast, and the lower Mid-Atlantic regions. These predictions follow the warmest fall recorded in the U.S. within NOAA’s 130-year climatic history, with the average fall temperature reaching 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 4.1 degrees above the norm.

Further Reading

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

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