Titanic Winter Storm Unleashes Chaos Across Central US, Grounding Travel Plans

Perilous winter weather swept in on Sunday across a vast area of the central United States as a strong storm system moved to the east, causing travel and work interruptions from Kansas City to Washington.

According to CNN, over 60 million individuals nationwide were under some form of weather warning, while the flight tracking website FlightAware displayed nearly 2,200 cancelled flights and more than 25,000 delays.

Gusty winds associated with this storm system, the inaugural one of the year, resulted in blizzard-like conditions in Kansas and Missouri, while areas further east experienced several inches of snowfall.

Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear urged community members to “please remain indoors” after multiple vehicle incidents closed a key highway.

The NWS also alerted that accumulations of up to half an inch of ice in certain regions — alongside widespread tree damage due to powerful wind gusts — could result in “extended power outages.”

A combination of freezing rain, sleet, and snow began impacting Kansas early Sunday morning. Storm chaser Brian Emfinger mentioned on X that road conditions around Kansas City resembled “a skating rink.”

Footage shared by the Weather Channel displayed vehicles sliding off ice-covered highways and tractor-trailers jack-knifing in Kansas, where some locations anticipated more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow.

“Heavy snowfall areas will move eastward through the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians tonight, possibly reaching northern Mid-Atlantic regions by Monday morning,” the NWS updated.

Regions around Washington might experience up to 10 inches overnight from Sunday to Monday, likely resulting in “dangerous travel and closures,” as reported by the Washington Post.

This could complicate the obligations of U.S. lawmakers, who are constitutionally required to gather on Capitol Hill on January 6 to validate the victor of last year’s presidential election.

“Whether we face a blizzard or not,” House Speaker Mike Johnson remarked on Fox News Sunday, “we must not postpone that certification… I hope for full attendance.”

A joint assembly is scheduled for 1:00 PM (1800 GMT) on Monday.

Intense cold

With the jet stream shifting southward, temperatures are projected to drop, in some locations plunging below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius), with significant wind gusts amplifying the hazards.

Temperatures could fall tens of degrees below seasonal averages all the way down to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. Before this, severe thunderstorms are anticipated across the lower Mississippi Valley, according to the NWS forecast.

Another significant worry concerns freezing rain and sleet. A dense layer of ice could render travel perilous, down trees, and disrupt power lines.

The NWS predicted up to 0.5 inches of freezing rain in regions of the Middle Mississippi/Ohio Valley, warning that “long-lasting power outages” might leave millions without electricity from Kansas to the central Appalachian Mountains.

Conditions could be particularly treacherous in Appalachia, where a deadly hurricane in late September devastated communities and impacted multiple southeastern states, including Kentucky.

The incoming storm “is likely to cause considerable disruptions and hazardous conditions on our roadways and could result in substantial power outages just 24 hours or so before it’s expected to get extremely cold in Kentucky,” Governor Andy Beshear informed an emergency gathering.

The governors of Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia have announced states of emergency in their respective states and have utilized social media to urge residents to stay indoors.

(AFP)