‘Heaviest snowfall in a decade’ as winter storm threatens central US states
Hit Fresh Cara New Snow Lowville, York High State And Anna/ap Picture: Winds
A blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures has stirred up dangerous travel conditions in the central US as a disruptive winter storm brought the possibility of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some areas.
Snow and ice blanketed major roads in parts of Kansas and Indiana, where the state National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists.
At least 8in of snow was expected, particularly north of Interstate 70 as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri – where blizzard conditions were reported — to New Jersey into Monday.
“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said early on Sunday.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually stays penned up around the North Pole, spinning like a top, but sometimes it escapes or stretches down to the US, Europe or Asia, when large numbers of people experience intense cold.
Studies show a fast-warming Arctic gets some of the blame for the increase in polar vortex stretching or wandering.
In Indiana, snow covered portions of Interstate 64 and US Route 41, and Indiana State Police asked motorists to stay off the roads.
“Please avoid traveling unless necessary,” Sergeant Todd Ringle said on social media platform X.
Knox: US 41 south of Vincennes is completely snow covered. Please avoid traveling unless necessary.
— Sgt. Todd Ringle (@ISPEvansville) January 5, 2025
Pic: Courtesy of INDOT. pic.twitter.com/tsPrihnoos
Part of the I-70 was closed in central Kansas by Saturday afternoon. Total snow and sleet accumulations for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri were predicted to be as high as 14in.
The storm was forecast to move into the Ohio Valley, with severe travel disruption expected. It will reach the mid-Atlantic states on Sunday into Monday, with a hard freeze expected as far south as Florida.
Severe thunderstorms, with the possibility of tornadoes and hail, were also possible ahead of the storm system’s cold front as it crosses the Lower Mississippi Valley, the National Weather Service warned.
Parts of upstate New York saw 3ft or more of snow from a lake effect event.
A fire engine, several lorries and passenger vehicles overturned west of Salina, Kansas. HGVs also jackknifed and went into ditches, state Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said.
He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the road like an ice-skating rink.
Trooper Jason Fraser reports that I-135 from Saline County to Harvey County is snowpacked and down to barely one lane in both directions (north and south).
— Trooper Ben (@TrooperBenKHP) January 5, 2025
Travel is strongly discouraged. If you don’t need to be out, please stay home to avoid unnecessary risks. The roads are… pic.twitter.com/TGccYJxmOU
“We are in it now,” he said as he drove to the scene of an accident. He asked for prayers and warned that some roads were nearly impassable.
Governors in neighbouring Missouri and nearby Arkansas declared states of emergency. Whiteout conditions threatened to make driving dangerous to impossible, forecasters warned, and heighten the risk of becoming stranded.
Nearly 200 flights in and out of St Louis Lambert International Airport were cancelled on Sunday, according to tracking platform FlightAware.
Kansas City International Airport temporarily halted flights on Saturday afternoon due to ice. Dozens of flights were delayed, including a charter jet transporting American football side the Kansas City Chiefs, before the runways reopened.
“Work will continue overnight to keep the airfield clear,” city mayor Quinton Lucas said in a message on X.
Starting on Monday the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience dangerous cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 7C to 14C below normal as the polar vortex stretches down from the high Arctic.
In Chicago on Sunday, temperatures hovered around minus 7C to minus 10C and around minus 18C in Minneapolis, dropping to minus 24C in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency on Friday evening ahead of the storm and encouraged residents to vote early on Saturday ahead of the state’s special elections on Tuesday.
Similar declarations were issued in Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and multiple cities in central Illinois.
“This is the real deal,” meteorologist John Gordon said at a press conference in Louisville, Kentucky. “Are the weather people blowing this out of proportion? No.”
Officials in Annapolis asked residents to remove vehicles from emergency snow routes. The Maryland state capital also announced plans to open several garages on Sunday for free parking.
The National Weather Service predicted 8in to 12in of snow for the Annapolis area.
In Baltimore, an extreme weather alert was issued instructing agencies to provide shelter and assistance for those in need. City officials had said wind chills were expected to dip to minus 10C overnight and remain in the teens until Tuesday.
In Louisiana, crews were racing to find a manatee that had been spotted in Lake Pontchartrain before the cold temperatures hit. The manatee was first seen on New Year’s Eve in the Mandeville area.
While manatees are common in the area during the summer, winter sightings are a concern because they can begin to experience cold stress symptoms when the temperature falls below 20C.
“We are doing everything we can to get our hands on this animal,” said Gabriella Harlamert, stranding and rehabilitation co-ordinator for Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans.