December 22, 2022 Winter storm news

At least two all-time record lows were set overnight from the Arctic blast, and more than a dozen record-low temperatures were either tied or broken on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

All-time record lows:

Nearly a dozen record temperatures were set in Montana, including:  

Elsewhere:

CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn and Haley Brink contributed reporting to this post.

Due to travel warnings and “in anticipation of hazardous road conditions caused by the impending winter storm,” all Illinois Secretary of State offices and Driver Services facilities will be closed starting Thursday afternoon.

“Secretary [Jesse] White’s top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of customers and employees,” a release from the Secretary of State’s office said.

“I encourage motorists to abide by law enforcement warnings to stay off the roads during hazardous, blizzard-like winter conditions,” Secretary of State for Illinois Jesse White said. 

Secretary of State offices and facilities will reopen on Tuesday after the holiday weekend.

Thursday and Friday will be the peak of what the National Weather Service is calling a "once-in-generation type event." Most of the country is being impacted in one way or another from the Arctic blast and the bomb cyclone.

Here's a timeline of the weather forecasts for some US cities:

Chicago

Denver

Minneapolis

Detroit

Washington

New York

Atlanta 

Nearly 1,700 flights have been canceled and over 2,480 have been delayed within, into or out of the United States so far as winter weather affects a large portion of the nation.

According to the flight-tracking site FlightAware, the airports most affected during this busy holiday travel time are Chicago O'Hare and Denver International.

About 230 flights out of O'Hare and 265 into the airport have been canceled, 22% and 25%, respectively. About 215 flights leaving Denver International and 243 into the airport have been canceled, 22% and 26%, respectively.

Several inches of snow, combined with wind gusts of 50-60 mph, could lead to the first blizzard warning in Chicago in over four years.

Denver saw temperatures plummet 65 degrees in 16 hours, from 50 degrees on Wednesday afternoon to -15 degrees in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Officials in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado alerted drivers to road closures and severe driving conditions Thursday morning as piling snow and dropping temperatures wreaked havoc on roadways.

In Montana, the state transportation department warned of traffic hazards and abandoned vehicles across the state. Drivers face particular trouble outside the city of Bozeman on Interstate 90, where the temperature is -33 degrees.

Officials also reported a cluster of hazards and incidents near the small town of Glendive in eastern Montana. At the intersection of several highways there, the temperature is -21 degrees, according to transportation officials.

The department's road report cautions about “blowing snow, reduced visibility, and scattered snow and ice.” 

The Wyoming transportation department also reported clusters of hazards and incidents across the state. Drivers face particular trouble in the southwest of the state, near the cities of Kemmer and Evanston, and in the southeast of the state near Cheyenne. 

In Idaho, transportation officials reported significant road closures near the southeastern city of Pocatello due to drifting snow and high winds. Weather stations recorded temperatures as low as -20 degrees in Pocatello.

And in Colorado, the state's transportation department issued a number of statewide safety closures Thursday morning, with some highways closed due to blowing snow creating “adverse driving conditions and low visibility.”

Interstate 70 is closed in multiple places, including eastbound at Silverthorne near Denver, where semi-trucks spun out.

“Roads are icy, visibility is poor at times when the wind gusts, and there are numerous vehicles stuck on the roadways. Travel is not advised. Please stay home and warm, it's the safest option today,” Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C warned. 

Ground blizzard conditions are forecast to persist across portions of far eastern Montana, southwestern North Dakota, and central South Dakota well into the afternoon hours today, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

A ground blizzard typically occurs when a strong arctic cold front pushes through a region bringing with it extreme cold and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service. These winds will pick up and blow around any snow on the ground which can quickly lead to whiteout conditions.

Widespread snowfall totals across the region have been relatively light with 1 to 4 inches of snowfall over the last 24 hours but winds are expected to continue to be strong, picking up in intensity through the afternoon.

President Biden cautioned Americans to take the widespread "dangerous and threatening" winter storm seriously and to listen to warnings from local officials.

"This is really a very serious weather alert here. And it goes from Oklahoma all the way to Wyoming, and Wyoming to Maine. And it is a real consequence. So I encourage everyone, everyone please heed the local warnings," Biden said.

The administration has tried to contact 26 governors so far in affected regions, he said.  

"And my team is prepared to help communities weather this, no pun intended, this storm and this freeze," he added. 

He said he will be briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service shortly.

"Take this storm extremely seriously," he said, encouraging people to travel to their destinations as soon as possible.

Buffalo Public Schools will be closed on Friday due to the severe winter weather expected to hit the state, the Buffalo City School District said on their website.

Buffalo school district serves approximately 32,000 students in 60 facilities, according to the district website.

The announcement added that there will be no remote instruction and asked all students and staff to remain home.

Here's the forecast from the National Weather Service in Buffalo: “A Blizzard Warning was issued for the Niagara Frontier, including the Buffalo Metro area. Lake effect snow, strong wind, blowing snow, and -10 to -25 wind chills will follow a frontal passage Friday. Travel will be difficult to impossible Friday through much of Christmas weekend.”

Heavy rain, snow, high winds, flash freezing, and flash flooding are expected for several regions in New York state.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also warned that damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines making widespread power outages possible. She directed state agencies on Wednesday to prepare to respond to the significant winter weather system that’s expected to hit the state Thursday into Monday.

To prepare for the high winds the New York State Thruway is also implementing a tandem and empty truck/ trailer ban on parts of the Interstate 90 beginning on Friday at 6 a.m. ET.

Multiple Tennessee Department of Transportation crews are out working to pretreat roads due to the "inclement weather looming" across the state, the state's Department of Transportation said.  

Mark Nagi, the department's region 1 community relations officer for east Tennessee, posted several pictures and videos of crew working to prep the roads. 

Rae Anne Bradley, the department's region 2 community relations officer for east and middle Tennessee, said her team members have been preparing the roads since Wednesday "in anticipation of inclement weather."  

Bradley also said Thursday that crews will continue to treat the roads "as conditions intensify."  

The state's emergency management arm also warned residents who are planning on traveling to "check road conditions and have an emergency vehicle kit." 

The Tennessee Valley Authority, one of the nation's largest energy suppliers, said it's ready to combat the state's upcoming wintery conditions.  

"Reliable power is important now more than ever, and our employees across the fleet are working hard around the clock, even during the Holiday season, keeping the electricity flowing and your home merry and bright," the company said in a tweet.