A winter storm brought snow, ice, soaring temperatures and deteriorating road conditions across the central United States on Saturday, with forecasts predicting the deadly combination will spread eastward in the coming days.
“Winter is back,” said Bob Oravec, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
A polar vortex of super-cold air is usually trapped around the North Pole, spinning like a top. But sometimes it escapes or spreads to the United States, Europe, and Asia. At that time, many people experience severe colds.
Research shows that the rapid warming of the Arctic is partly responsible for the polar vortex's elongation and increased migration.
snow and ice forecast
By Saturday evening, widespread heavy snow was possible between central Kansas and Indiana, especially along and north of Interstate 70.
Parts of the interstate were closed in central Kansas by the afternoon.
Snow and sleet totals were predicted to reach 14 inches in parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.
The storm is then predicted to move into the Ohio Valley, where severe traffic disruptions are expected. Bitter cold is expected to reach the mid-Atlantic states from Sunday through Monday, and as far south as Florida.
Severe thunderstorms with the possibility of tornadoes and hail are possible before the storm system's cold front moves through the lower Mississippi River basin, the National Weather Service warned.
More than 3 feet of lake-effect snow has fallen in parts of upstate New York and is expected to continue into late Sunday afternoon.
When the storm hits, car accidents start.
A fire truck, several tractor-trailers and a car were overturned west of Salina, Kansas. State Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said the rig jackknifed and ended up in a ditch.
he posted video His boots were shown gliding across the blacktop of the highway like an ice skating rink.
“We're in that situation right now,” Gardner said as he drove to the accident scene. He asked for prayers online and warned that some roads were nearly impassable.
Cold rain fell in Wichita, Kansas, early in the morning, causing multiple crashes and police urging drivers to stay home if possible and be on the lookout for emergency vehicles.
The governors of neighboring Missouri and neighboring Arkansas declared states of emergency. Forecasters warned that whiteout conditions could make driving dangerous or impossible, increasing the risk of stranding.
“Please stay off the road. Crews are seeing too many vehicles sliding off the road,” the Missouri Department of Transportation said on social platform X.
Air travel was also criticized.
Kansas City International Airport temporarily suspended flight operations this afternoon due to ice. By the time the runway reopened, dozens of flights were delayed, including a chartered plane transporting the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mayor Quinton Lucas: “Work to clean the airfield will continue through the night.” said in message With X.
prepare to weather the storm
Wichita stores were filled with shoppers stocking up on groceries ahead of the storm, and warming centers were opened at churches and libraries.
Several businesses across Kansas City have closed, and a school district outside Independence, Missouri, said it may have to cancel classes for one or more days.
“Go where you're going and stay where you are. If you must travel, consider packing your bags and staying at your destination,” the Missouri Department of Transportation says. message With X.
The agency warned Friday that a shortage of workers could hamper efforts to remove snow from roads.
In Columbus, Ohio, crews treated major roads with de-icer.
“It's going to be a big headache,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “The storm not only brings the threat of snow, but also the threat of ice.”
Kaines said the outages could be particularly large in the southern Kansas City area.
Temperatures drop, but no records are broken
boot Monday Eastern two-thirds the people of this country will experience dangerous, bone-chilling cold And the wind will get colder, forecasters said. As the polar vortex stretches out from the highlands of the Arctic, temperatures could drop 12 to 25 degrees below normal.
Temperatures hovered in the 10s in Chicago and around 0 degrees in Minneapolis on Saturday, but dropped to below 14 degrees in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Chaos spreads south
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday night ahead of the storm and in a statement on X encouraged residents to vote early Saturday ahead of the state's special election on Tuesday.
Similar declarations were also issued in several cities in Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and central Illinois.
“This is real,” meteorologist John Gordon said at a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky. “Are the weather people blowing this out of proportion? No.”
Annapolis officials urged residents to remove their vehicles from the emergency snowy roads. The state's historic capital near the Chesapeake Bay also announced plans Sunday to open some garages for free parking.
The National Weather Service predicted 8 to 12 inches of snow would fall in the Annapolis area and temperatures would remain below freezing through the weekend.
An extreme weather warning was issued for Baltimore, and agencies were directed to provide shelter and assistance to people in need. Wind chills are expected to drop to 13 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday night and remain in the 10s Fahrenheit through Tuesday, city officials said.
In Louisiana, crews were racing to find a manatee spotted in Lake Pontchartrain before the cold snap. Manatees were first spotted in the Mandeville area on New Year's Eve.
Manatees are common in the area during the summer, but winter sightings are a concern because they can begin to experience cold stress symptoms when temperatures drop below 68 degrees.
“We're doing everything we can to get this animal,” said Gabriella Hallamato, stranding and rehabilitation coordinator at Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans.
