What we're covering
• Widespread threat: Two-thirds of the US population is facing down a monster winter storm and extreme cold. The storm’s snow and ice will stretch over 2,000 miles from Texas to New England as it tracks east through the weekend.
• Catastrophic ice storm: Crippling ice accumulations will weigh down and drop power lines and trees in the most serious icing zones in the South. Hundreds of thousands could lose power, some for days.
• Travel nightmare: Hundreds of flights have already been canceled ahead of the storm. Travel will be difficult to impossible on roads across the storm’s footprint.
• Record cold: More than half of all Americans will experience subzero wind chills in the next week. The extreme cold will lock snow and ice in place and leave those without power shivering for days.
Atlanta included in Georgia ice storm warning expansion
An ice storm warning has been expanded to include much of northern Georgia, including parts of the Atlanta metro.
This type of warning indicates there’s a serious threat of damaging amounts of ice build-up on power lines and trees.
“Expect power outages and tree damage due to the ice. Travel could be impossible,” the National Weather Service said in its alert.
The warning is for areas near Interstate 20 and northward. It goes into effect on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and lasts through Monday 10 a.m. ET.
More than 15 million people are now under ice storm warnings in the South.
Southwest Airlines cancels hundreds of flights as winter storm disrupts travel
Southwest Airlines says it has already canceled at least 327 flights due to this weekend’s massive winter storm and warns more cancellations are likely.
In a companywide memo to employees obtained by CNN, Southwest says it canceled 92 flights Friday and has preemptively canceled 235 flights Saturday.
The airline says it has suspended or will suspend operations entirely at several airports into Sunday because of ice and snow forecasts, including Amarillo, Lubbock, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Little Rock, Wichita, and Memphis.
Southwest says it will continue monitoring crew and aircraft availability, warning customers to expect additional disruptions through the weekend.
Crews at world's busiest airport "comfortable" and ready, operations manager says
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which has ranked as the world’s busiest for years, is prepared for potential ice and wintry weather with well-trained crews and equipment, including $3 million worth of enhancements, at the ready, Gus Hudson, senior deputy general manager of airport operations, told reporters at a Friday news conference.
Crews will start treating runways and taxiways at 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday, before precipitation arrives, Hudson said.
Despite the airport’s infrequent experience with snow and ice, crews are well-trained and will operate throughout the storm, Hudson said. “They’re familiar with the equipment and they’re comfortable,” he added.
The airport is coordinating with airlines, federal partners, and facility operators, Hudson said, advising anyone flying in or out of Atlanta this weekend to monitor flight information and exercise caution when traveling to the airport.
Rain before the storm is a big problem for roads
Rain at the onset of this weekend’s storm is going to complicate efforts to keep roads clear in parts of the South.
Crews in some states, like Texas, started to pretreat roads earlier this week to prevent them from icing up during the storm. But precipitation from the storm is likely to start as plain rain for many Gulf Coast states before changing over to ice or snow.
That’s a huge problem: Rain can wash away salt, brine or sand that crews have already deployed, leaving roadways susceptible to ice.
It looks like that scenario is already unfolding as light rain spreads over parts of Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Texas Department of Transportation cameras are showing wet roads in much of the metroplex ahead of forecast icing tonight through Saturday.
Small amounts of ice can have big impacts
Ice storms are one of winter’s most insidious threats.
Ice is really tough to spot compared to snow and even the lightest amounts can cause serious issues with travel and power.
Here’s how much damage seemingly small amounts of ice can do:
- A glaze: Surfaces like roads and sidewalks become slick and hard to navigate.
- 0.25 inches: Ice weighs down tree limbs and power lines. Roads and sidewalks are more like skating rinks.
- 0.50 inches: Ice becomes so heavy it snaps tree branches and can topple power lines. Travel is impossible.
- 1 to 3 inches: Some of the worst ice storms on record in the US have dropped this much ice, knocking out power for days or even weeks.
Kansas governor issues state of disaster emergency
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation this morning due to the winter weather forecast for the state.
The winter storm, expected to produce large amounts of snow across more than a dozen states, will also bring its frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills to Kansas.
Snowfall amounts will vary across the state, ranging from light accumulations to several inches, the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department said. A small amount of snow has already begun to fall in some parts of the state.
“I urge everyone to be prepared. Stay inside as much as possible and avoid travel if you can,” Kelly said in a release this morning. “Make sure your home emergency kit is stocked and if you must travel, be sure your car emergency kit is ready.”
Winter storm preparations underway in NYC
Plans for battling the major winter storm expected to wallop New York City are already underway, with city officials closely monitoring the forecast while already coating major roads with salt, said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“What is being predicted right now, whether it’s a foot of snow or even a little bit more, would be one of the biggest snowfalls that our city has seen in years,” Mamdani said at a news conference from New York City Emergency Management headquarters on Friday.
The city could see between 10 to 14 inches of snow, starting Sunday and lasting until midday Monday.
Mamdani called the city’s sanitation department “the largest snow fighting operation in the entire county.”
As many as 2,000 sanitation workers will be on 12 hour shifts while 700 salt spreaders will also be coating the streets. The city has 700 million pounds of salt at the ready. There will also be 2,200 snow plows ready to clear the streets as soon as 2 inches of snow accumulate on the ground.
Trucks began deploying a salt and water solution, known as brining, on highways and major roadways, at 6 a.m. Friday morning, Mamdani said, but the mayor urged New Yorkers to “stay home, stay indoors, stay off the roads” during the storm.
Light precipitation begins as storm starts to organize
Some patchy light snow and rain showers are building in parts of the south-central US, a sign we’ve entered a very early stage of the storm’s development.
The storm’s precipitation is still quite separated. Once the storm’s development kicks into gear later this afternoon, snow and rain will become more intense, ice will begin and dry areas will start to fill in with precipitation.
While Oklahoma looks dry now, forecasters warned earlier that some roads were already becoming slick as temperatures dropped below the freezing mark — 32 degrees. Road issues will only worsen as wintry precipitation kicks fully into gear this afternoon.
Where the winter storm will take a bite out of snowfall deficits
This single storm could wipe out some cities’ snowfall deficits for the season so far.
Amarillo, Texas, Kansas City and Wichita, Kansas, are all running 5 or more inches behind average snowfall pace this season.
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, could see more snow from this one storm than they average in an entire season.
In the Northeast, Boston is likely to take a huge bite out of its nearly 9-inch deficit. Baltimore, Hartford, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. could also see snowfall climb above average for the season thanks to this storm.
The Rockies are the most snow-starved region, but they won’t see much snow at all.
Philadelphia declares “Snow Emergency” beginning Saturday night
The City of Philadelphia is declaring a Snow Emergency starting at Saturday at 9PM, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Friday morning.
“It will remain in effect until roadway conditions improve,” said Mayor Parker. “Please take this storm seriously, now is the time to prepare.”
The city said that street crews have already started pre-treating roads in anticipation of the winter storm, and more than 1,000 workers have been mobilized ahead of the weekend.
“[We have] over 600 pieces of equipment and over 30,000 tons of salt at the ready to make sure our roads are safe and passable for pedestrians, motorists, and of course our emergency responders,” said Office of Clean and Green Initiatives Director Carlton Williams.
DC declares state of emergency as it readies for heavy snow
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency in the city on Friday as the nation’s capital prepares for impacts from the storm.
“This will be the largest snowfall we’ve seen in a long time,” Bowser said, adding she would issue an update this weekend about whether city government offices would be closed Monday. DC schools won’t be in session on Monday and city trash pickup could be delayed due to the storm.
The city could see its biggest snowfall in more than five years this weekend, with some freezing rain likely to fall on top of the snow, adding to the hazardous road conditions.
The city is treating roads with salt and will start plowing roads tomorrow and throughout the weekend. The mayor said the DC National Guard will provide vehicle support to “ensure our first responders are able to move around the city during the storm.”
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is readying equipment to clear snow from Metro tracks but cautioned both bus and subway service could be disrupted, General Manager Randy Clarke said.
“We will only run service if it is safe; if it’s safe, we’re going to run as much service as possible,” Clarke said.
The right way to prepare for the big storm
Even moderate winter storms can wreck havoc on electricity and other infrastructure, and this one’s unlikely to be moderate. Here’s how to prepare.
Plan for days of isolation: If electricity goes out, it might not come back on quickly. Get prescriptions, medical needs, warm clothes and food in place before the storm. Make sure flashlights, radios and extra batteries are on hand.
Buy shelf-stable food: This is not the time to pick up fixins for a milk sandwich. Focus on items that won’t require electricity, refrigeration or cooking. And don’t forget bottled water. FEMA recommends storing a gallon of water for each person in your household, per day.
Protect your pipes: When the heat goes out, you don’t want water lines to follow. Simple tricks like opening cabinets to circulate warmer air and leaving faucets dripping can keep pipes from freezing and bursting.
Beware of makeshift heating systems: Never use grills, camp stoves or generators indoors. Carbon monoxide is odorless and deadly and poses a major risk from these heating sources during winter storms.
Don’t forget your car: Gas up before the storm, keep an emergency kit in your trunk (think blankets, winter clothes and phone charger) and don’t park under power lines or trees.
Number of flight cancellations Saturday continues to climb
Airlines are continuing to cancel flights Saturday as they prepare for a brutal winter storm to impact more than half the US.
More than 1,500 flights have been canceled tomorrow so far, according to FlightAware.
Dallas is disproportionately affected by the preemptive cancellations, the site shows.
More than 60% of flights out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, an American Airlines hub, have already been canceled.
And more than half the flights out of Dallas Love Field Airport, a Southwest Airlines hub, are also canceled.
Other airports that don’t regularly deal with snow that are seeing early cancellations include Oklahoma City, Nashville, and Delta’s Atlanta hub, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Trump admin seeks to use data centers for backup power during winter storm
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has asked grid operators to make backup generation available from facilities like data centers, as parts of the country prepare for a massive winter storm that could lead to widespread power outages.
It’s a somewhat untested plan; although some data centers have their own backup power supplies, they don’t typically distribute power to the grid. It isn’t immediately clear how they would do so in a weather emergency.
“We have identified more than 35 (gigawatts) of unused backup generation that exists across the country and are taking action to ensure that if the nation needs it, the generation will be made available,” Wright said in a news release Thursday.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Energy for more details on how the plan would be implemented.
In a letter sent to grid operators, Wright said he is invoking a section of the Federal Power Act, which gives him the authority to order “temporary connections of facilities, and generation, delivery, interchange, or transmission of electricity” in an emergency.
CNN’s Alexandra Banner, Auzinea Bacon and Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
New ice storm warning issued in the Carolinas
An ice storm warning has just been hoisted across the western Carolinas for Saturday afternoon through early Monday afternoon. That includes Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina, and Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina.
This type of warning indicates there’s a serious threat of damaging amounts of ice build-up on power lines and trees.
“Widespread power outages are likely due to the weight of the ice and snow on tree limbs and power lines. The outages could last for days in some areas,” the warning from the National Weather Service says.
Snow, sleet and freezing rain will also make travel impossible in this area.
More than 9 million people are now under ice storm warnings in the South, stretching from the lower-Mississippi Valley to the new ones just issued in the Carolinas.
Texas grid is more prepared for winter weather, but could still face problems
The Texas grid should be better prepared to withstand winter weather than it was in 2021 — when millions lost power for days.
Despite Texas officials on Thursday predicting the power would stay on, the possibility for significant ice could still down power lines, said expert Joshua Rhodes, an energy research scientist at University of Texas at Austin.
“We still might have a large number of people lose power in the state, even though it will be for a completely different reason” than the 2021 winter storm, Rhodes said in an email.
One bright spot is the enormous amount of battery storage Texas has installed since 2021, which could be essential to keeping the “system stable” if other power generators go offline, Rhodes said. However, he is also watching for the performance of the state’s fleet of natural gas pipelines and power plants, which froze in 2021.
“There’s going to be a couple days where it will not get above freezing out in the Midland region and that is one part of the electricity supply chain that I don’t think we’ve done enough to winterize,” Rhodes said.
Biggest snow in years possible in these Plains, Midwest cities
• Tulsa, Oklahoma: Up to a foot of snow is possible, which would be the first 12 inch-plus snow there since 2011. Some 14 inches fell between January 31 and February 1, 2011 — their most snowfall on record.
• Louisville, Kentucky: A foot of snow could pile up for the first time since a record February 1998 storm that buried the city under 22.4 inches. A few storms have come close to a foot since then, including one in March 2015 that brought 11.9 inches.
• Cincinnati, Ohio: Its last 12 inch-plus snowstorm was also in February 1998, when it picked up 18.5 inches. It came close as recently as last January when a storm dropped 10.6 inches.
How this brutal winter storm is even possible with climate change
Bone-chilling cold is becoming less common and severe as the world warms. Winter is the fastest-warming season in the US, and even this winter, so far, warm temperature records have been outnumbering cold records in the Lower 48 states. But events like the frigid temperatures, massive snow and deadly ice storm taking shape east of the Rockies still happen, even with climate change, and some of them could be even more severe than before when the conditions are right.
Climate change may play a role in instigating this winter storm and the Arctic cold that will follow it, experts said. The cold air invading from the Arctic comes courtesy of the polar vortex, a roaring, circular wall of wind that typically confines frigid air to the Arctic.
But the vortex can stretch, dipping south and bringing the cold air with it. That is what is happening across the U.S. now, as the stretching polar vortex pushes the jet stream down across the Central and Eastern states.
“There’s clearly this strong relationship between stretched vortex events and extreme winter weather here in the US,” said Judah Cohen, a research scientist at MIT.
And, he said, that stretching of the vortex is tied in part to sea ice loss in the Arctic that is the result of human-caused climate change.
Biggest snow in years possible in these Northeast cities
• New York City: This will likely be the first snowstorm that drops 6 inches or more on the Big Apple since January 2022. The last 12 inch-plus snowstorm was January 31 - February 3, 2021, when it saw 17.4 inches.
• Philadelphia: It’s been nearly four years since a storm dropped 6 inches or more. A foot of snow is not out of the question, and that hasn’t happened since January 2016. This storm has a chance to end both of those streaks.
• Albany, New York: At least a foot of snow could fall in New York’s capital city, which hasn’t happened in more than five years, when a December 2020 storm dropped a whooping 22.9 inches.
Ice forecasts echo historic storms
Dangerously high ice totals are expected in parts of the South with this weekend’s storm. Freezing rain could drop more than an inch of ice in parts of the lower Mississippi Valley.
Ice accumulates when rain hits the ground and freezes on contact in the cold air. Some of the worst ice storms on record in the United States have generated 1 to 2 inches of ice. Whether this weekend’s storm will be one for the history books is yet to be seen, but we know how these big ice storms have impacted the country in the past.
A massive storm in January 2009 dropped up to 2 inches of ice on parts of Kentucky and Arkansas. Snow quickly followed the ice, which increased the amount of damage and the time it took some areas to clean up and recover.
The storm killed several dozen people, caused widespread property damage and knocked out power to more than a million customers in both states.
A December 2000 ice storm brought over an inch of ice to parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. That storm knocked out power to more than 500,000 homes and businesses and left some people in the dark for days if not weeks.
