Powerful Snowstorm Hits US: 60 Million People at Risk

A powerful snowstorm has hit the northeastern United States, causing heavy snowfalls and icy conditions in several states. According to forecasters, snowstorms of this scale occur on average once a decade. 60 million people are at risk. News agency NBC News tracks the timeline of events.

Photo: Ronniechua | Dreamstime.com

On January 5, the National Weather Service issued a storm advisory that would cause severe damage across much of the United States, including record snowfall and ice in the southern states.

As of the morning of January 6, states of emergency had been declared in at least seven states, including Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas and parts of New Jersey. Officials are urging people to stay home and off the roads.

On Sunday evening, January 5, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 1043 stranded motorists, 356 crashes, 31 injuries and one death related to the storm.

Another person has lost his life after being hit by a dump truck skidding on a slippery road in Jackson County, Missouri State Police said.

The Weather Channel reported that two people were killed in a crash in Sedgwick County, Kansas, on the evening of January 5.

The weather service said the weather was caused by a west-to-east low pressure system that brought "significant snow and ice" from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic region.

On the subject: Weather forecasters from Washington showed what the wind looks like at 177 km per hour. Video

Heavy snowfall and gusty winds have caused blizzard conditions across the Central Plains, with icing expected from central Kansas to the central Appalachians.

The Central Plains snowstorm is dumping up to 38 inches of snow, the most in a decade, the weather service said. Dangerous icing is possible along a route from Kansas to the south. The storm reached the East Coast overnight Jan. 5-6, with “major impacts” for mid-Atlantic communities beginning the morning of Jan. 6.

Daily snowfall totals from the National Weather Service show 16,5 inches (20 cm) of snow in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, 24 inches (XNUMX cm) in St. Rose, Illinois, and XNUMX inches (XNUMX cm) in Chatham, Illinois.

Further east, Indianapolis received between 2,5 to 5 inches (20 to 15 cm) depending on location, Mount Washington, Ky., saw nearly XNUMX inches (XNUMX cm) and Grayson, Ky., saw XNUMX inches (XNUMX cm) of snow, according to the weather service.

In Virginia, the storm dropped 10 inches of snow in New Castle, just over 5 inches in Reams and nearly 8 inches in Fort Gregg-Adams.

In Washington, D.C., most non-emergency federal workers were told to stay home on January 6 as a dangerous winter storm approaches the city from the southwest.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management said emergency responders, teleworkers, and those working in the Washington area should report for duty as usual. However, non-teleworkers will be given leave “for weather and safety reasons.”

All Smithsonian Institution museums in the Washington, D.C. area, including the National Zoo, will be closed on January 6 due to weather conditions.

Officials are urging drivers to avoid using highways.

In Missouri, authorities are doing everything they can to keep motorists off the state's roads affected by the snowstorm, where visibility is reduced to hundreds of meters in places and one major highway is completely closed due to snow.

The National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, warned residents to avoid road travel except in the most urgent cases.

"Even if you want to take the risk, you may not be able to leave," the message says. "Stay home and take care of yourself."

The Missouri Department of Transportation, citing the weather service, said travel would be "impossible" as significant amounts of snow and icy roads were expected in parts of the state.

I-5 north of Kansas City was closed on Jan. 29 due to "hazardous conditions," the Missouri Highway Patrol reported to X.

Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph, Missouri, experienced snowstorms this morning, with visibility limited to 1,500 feet, the weather service said.

In the neighboring state of Kansas, residents were sent an emergency alert, also urging them to refrain from traveling.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, all public schools and government offices are closed on January 6 due to the raging storm, Mayor Sherelle Parker's office said in a statement.

A winter storm warning is in effect from 1 a.m. Jan. 6 until 1 a.m. Jan. 7 for an area including Philadelphia, other parts of southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for 10 to 20 cm of snow in the region.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for several counties affected by the storm.

The state went into emergency mode at 22 p.m. Jan. 00, the governor's office said in a statement, citing expected "heavy snowfall, sleet, freezing rain, strong winds and freezing temperatures."

Those counties include Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. The emergency declaration allows for the rapid deployment of needed resources, the governor's office said.

"We are experiencing severe winter weather conditions across our state that are creating dangerous situations. Southern counties are expected to receive 15 to 20 inches of snow," Murphy said.

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The governor noted that weather conditions could impact morning and evening commutes and make travel difficult.

An arctic cold wave is expected to follow the storm, causing temperatures to plummet. On January 6, temperatures could drop to -12 to -17 °C in central and northern Texas.

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