It could be the coldest Christmas Eve on record in Atlanta and Philadelphia, weather service says
From CNN's Taylor Ward
Many locations in the eastern US are in for their coldest Christmas Eve in decades.
Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tallahassee, are all forecast to have their coldest high temperature ever recorded on Dec. 24, according to the National Weather Service.
Washington, DC, is forecast to see its second-coldest Christmas Eve, only behind 1989. In New York, it will be the coldest Christmas Eve since 1906. Chicago is expecting temperatures to rebound above zero, but the city will still experience its coldest Christmas Eve since 1983.
Many parts of Florida will experience the peak of their cold on Christmas Day. It will be the coldest Dec. 25 since 1983 for Miami, Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach, according to the weather service.
Temperatures in the East will slowly moderate over the weekend, but it will still be the third-coldest Christmas Day on record for Atlanta and coldest since 1989, according to forecasters. New York and Washington, DC, will each experience their coldest Christmas Day since 2000.
4:16 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
About 1.3 million customers are without power
Utility workers restore power to homes in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on December 23. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images)
About 1.3 million customers in the United States are experiencing power outages amid winter weather and frigid temperatures, according to Poweroutage.us.
Here's a look at the power outages by region:
Mid-Atlantic: 463,411
New England: 376,589
Southeast: 167,233
South: 148,094
Great Lakes: 80,271
Pacific: 45,684
Midwest: 8,389
Mountain: 1,720
Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania have the most outages right now.
4:08 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
New York governor warns of "epic, statewide hazard": Here's where things stand across the state
From CNN’s Nicki Brown
A man wades through flood waters to attempt to retrieve his truck along the Hudson River in Piermont, New York, on December 23. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned residents about the "epic, statewide hazard" of winter weather this weekend.
"I called it a kitchen sink storm because it is throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink," Hochul said at a press conference Friday afternoon. "We've had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend."
High winds and rain have already been reported across the state, and now officials are bracing for heavy snow and record-setting wind speeds, the state's transportation commissioner said at the press conference.
There have been more than 100,000 power outages across the state, with about 27,000 in Erie County and 15,000 in Monroe County, Hochul said.
"If you do lose power, it is going to be dangerously cold," said Jackie Bray, the state's homeland security and emergency services commissioner. Bray told residents dealing with outages to seek out warming shelters provided by some counties.
"Please don't assume that you can weather this cold overnight without heat," she said. "You may not be able to."
Impacts by region: "We are seeing incredibly dangerous, hazardous, life-threatening high winds, blinding snowstorms, in real-time hitting Western New York," Hochul said, explaining that the region has been hit by both the national storm and a lake-effect storm.
She said winds around the Buffalo Skyway have neared 80 mph — higher than those in the blizzard of 1977.
Parts of Long Island and New York City have seen coastal flooding of up to 3 feet, which is starting to abate, although more rain is expected in the area, Hochul said.
Bray said the main hazard in the city will be the low temperatures, windy conditions, and ice, with a flash freeze expected later today.
Hochul said the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, North Country and Southern Tier have seen rain and high winds, with snow also reported in the latter two regions, but major issues haven't been reported.
Transportation impacts: A flash freeze has already hit the western part of the state and is expected to impact eastern areas, too, prompting widespread travel restrictions, Hochul said.
"The roads are going to be like an ice skating rink, and your tires cannot handle this," she said.
Hochul said in some areas, like Erie County, the commercial vehicle driving ban has been expanded to all roads, and certain roads have hard closures.
"We really want everyone to stay off the roads," Bray said. "The roads are going to be icy statewide. That's going to be through tomorrow, at least, before any of that abates."
Some roads and rail lines that closed Friday due to flooding have reopened as water recedes, the officials said. Bray urged travelers to take public transportation instead of driving, saying the weather shouldn't disrupt those transit options any further.
Hochul said she does not anticipate closures to New York City airports, although high winds could potentially change that.
3:51 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
NYC officials warn of single-digit temperatures, flooding, wind gusts and black ice
From CNN's Mark Morales
New York City officials said frigid, single-digit temperatures and 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts are expected to hit the city later today.
So far, the winter storm has caused flooding in parts of the city and — as temperatures are dipping sharply, black ice is becoming a bigger concern, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said.
“Now we're starting to prepare the city for the next phase, which is going to be a precipitous drop in temperature, going down to the low teens, single digits over the weekend,” Iscol said at a news conference Friday. “... That leads to potential for black ice, because the amount of precipitation and water on the ground, that we also need to prepare for, in addition to high winds, up to 60 mile-per-hour gusts later today.”
Planning for the storm started 96 hours ago, according to Iscol, with agency heads staying in constant communication with Mayor Eric Adams, who is not in New York City and is taking some days off, according to First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo.
The City of New York Department of Sanitation has so far put down 20 million pounds of salt, with 700 salt spreaders operating all over the city.
The New York City Police Department has opened their traffic management center where they will monitor for power outages for traffic lights. NYPD Emergency Service Unit trucks are strategically located in parts of the city that are prone to flooding, Iscol said.
Con Edison has flown in 600 extra workers to help deal with potential power outage issues, with extra vehicles also out on the road, Iscol said.
City officials are getting briefed twice daily from the National Weather Service and using that guidance to plan their strategy, Iscol said.
Officials are also launching the Code Blue initiative, which is designed to get homeless people off the streets when the temperature drops to dangerous levels, Iscol said.
The city has also opened up two service centers in Queens to help with potential issues, Iscol said. Even hotels in parts of the city have already been blocked off in case the storm forces people from their homes, he added.
3:17 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
Iowa sports reporter reacts to viral snarky weather reports
A local sports reporter in Iowa went viral for getting "crankier and crankier" on the air after being asked to cover the weather.
In a video that's racked up over 5 million views on Twitter, Mark Woodley of KWWL-TV said, "What better time to ask the sports guy to come in about 5 hours earlier than he would normally wake up, go stand out in the wind and the snow and the cold and tell other people not to do the same?"
"Tune in for the next couple hours to watch me get progressively crankier and crankier," he quipped in the video mashup.
Woodley told CNN's Kristin Fisher that his responses on air were "just a bit of who I am."
"You know, on air, I love to give my coworkers grief. ... I was running on about three hours of sleep at that time, and some of the things maybe I wouldn't have said if I had slept for eight hours, but, you know, it is what it is," he said.
"I thought maybe if I bring a little attitude to it, people will pay attention. Because it's a serious storm. I took it very seriously," he said.
But Woodley said he probably won't be changing his beat from sports to weather any time soon.
"If I'm asked, sure, I'll do it, but that would be my absolute nightmare. So I hope to God they do not ask me to ever do that again," he said.
4:59 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
Flooding, power outages and blizzard conditions: Here's what you need to know about the winter storm
A delivery truck drives through floodwaters on the Portland, Maine, waterfront on December 23. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
A severe winter weather system is lashing states throughout the country.
If you're just now catching up, here are some of the storm's latest developments:
Death toll rises: In Kentucky, at least three people have died, Gov. Andy Beshear's office confirmed. Beshear confirmed two of the deaths in a Friday morning news conference, and a spokesperson for the governor told CNN a short time later that the death toll had risen to three.
Freezing temperatures: Cities in New York, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Illinois are experiencing blizzard conditions with strong blowing snow and low visibility in some areas. In Texas, the entire state is experiencing below-freezing temperatures, according to weather observations.
Power outages: More than 1 million customers are without power across the US. A utility in Memphis, Tennessee, was able to rescind plans for rolling blackouts but urged residents to conserve electricity as much as possible. View outage totals by region here.
Flooding: Storm surge has caused flooding in many coastal areas across the country. In Maine, police are conducting water rescues. In New York, flooding shut down train service on the Long Island Rail Road. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lake Ontario could see waves of up to 37 feet high on Friday evening while Lake Erie is also experiencing “rapidly pushing water levels past flood stage.”
Travel impacts: Among Thursday, Friday, and advance cancellations for Saturday, about 7,000 pre-Christmas flights have already been canceled nationwide. At Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York, all evening flights have been canceled Friday due to hazardous conditions.
2:49 p.m. ET, December 23, 2022
Severe winter weather system causes at least 3 deaths in Kentucky, governor says
From CNN’s Caroll Alvarado
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during a press conference on December 23. (Gov. Beshear's Office)
Three Kentuckians have died because of the severe winter weather system hitting the state, Gov. Andy Beshear's office said.
Beshear confirmed two of the deaths in a Friday morning news conference, and a spokesperson for the governor told CNN a short time later that the death toll had risen to three.
One death was the result of a vehicle accident in western Kentucky. Another was attributed to a car crash in Mount Sterling, east of Lexington in Montgomery County.
The third death was of a “housing insecure” person in Louisville, Beshear told reporters.
Later, Louisville Metro Police Department released details about one of the three victims, telling CNN Friday that the body of an adult man was found outside in the area of Parthenia Avenue in Louisville Thursday night. The person remains unidentified at this time.
“There are no obvious signs of trauma and LMPD is awaiting autopsy results from the Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause of death,” LMPD said in a statement.
Officials shut down Interstate 64 in both directions in Scott County due to multiple collisions around the 69-mile marker, Beshear announced.
The Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police have also been working a major accident on Interstate 71 that has caused a major backup all morning, Beshear said.
In photos: Winter storm and freezing temperatures impact the US
CNN Digital's Photo Team
A massive winter storm battered the US on Friday with frigid temperatures, high wind, snow and flooding, knocking out power to over a million customers and derailing holiday plans from coast to coast.
The storm — which is expected to intensify throughout Friday as it barrels east — is making for grim road conditions with poor visibility and ice-covered streets.
Here are some scenes from the storm as it makes the nation shiver:
Amanda Kelly cleans off snow and ice from her car on Friday, Dec. 23, in Columbus, Ohio. (Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network)
Cars drive in whiteout conditions in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 23. (Mark Mulville /The Buffalo News/AP)
Snow collects on a bison at Longfield Farm in Goshen, Kentucky, on Dec. 23. (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal/USA Today Network)
Stones are removed from a road in Westport, Massachusetts, after storm surge caused flooding in many coastal areas, on Dec. 23. (Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times/AP)
Here's what whiteout conditions look like right now in Buffalo
Even though Buffalo is no stranger to winter weather, conditions may not improve in the western New York city until Christmas morning, as a blizzard warning is in effect until Sunday at 7 a.m. ET.
CNN's Polo Sandoval illustrated the low-visibility issues, as he couldn't been seen until walking close to the camera as snow and wind whistled around him.
"This is not a massive snowmaker, believe it or not. It's the winds that are whipping around, all the snow that has fallen and then adding to that, that flash freezing that we will continue to see throughout the night as temperatures continue to plummet," Sandoval reported.
