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A major, devastating winter storm swept across the central US on Sunday, forecasters said, bringing a terrifying combination of snow, ice and freezing temperatures.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri — where blizzards are expected — to New Jersey.
In the two states where blizzard warnings were in effect, travel “could be very difficult to impossible,” with snow whipped around by high winds reducing visibility, the NWS said. A strong wind could knock down tree branches.
“Don’t travel unless necessary!” said the NWS.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually stays locked around the North Pole, spinning like a top. But sometimes it escapes or spreads to the USA, Europe or Asia – and then large numbers of people experience intense doses of cold.
Studies show that a rapidly warming Arctic bears some of the blame for increasing the stretching, or wandering, of the polar vortex.
Snow and ice in the forecast
By Saturday evening, heavy snow was likely between central Kansas and Indiana, especially along and north of Interstate 70. A portion of the interstate was closed in central Kansas until the afternoon. Total accumulations of snow and sleet in parts of Kansas and northern Missouri are forecast to be as much as 14 inches (35.6 centimeters).
The storm is then forecast to move into the Ohio Valley, causing severe travel disruptions. It will reach the Mid-Atlantic states Sunday through Monday, and a hard freeze is 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 received 3 feet (0.9 meters) or more of lake effect snow until late Sunday afternoon.
Car wrecks start as a storm
A fire truck, several tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles overturned west of Salina, Kansas. The rigs also stabbed and went into ditches, state trooper Ben Gardner said.
He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the highway roof like an ice rink.
“We’re in it now,” Gardner said as he drove to the crash site. He asked for prayers online and warned that some roads were almost impassable.
Freezing rain in Wichita, Kansas led to multiple crashes in the morning, and police urged drivers to stay home if possible and watch for emergency vehicles.
The governors of neighboring Missouri and nearby Arkansas declared a state of emergency. Forecasters warned that the blackout conditions threatened to make driving dangerous to impossible, and increased the risk of getting stuck.
“Please stay off the roads. Crews are seeing too many vehicles coming out and sliding,” the Missouri Department of Transportation said on the social platform X.
Air traffic was also hampered
Kansas City International Airport temporarily suspended flights in the afternoon due to ice. Dozens of flights were delayed, including a charter jet carrying the Kansas City Chiefs, before the runways reopened.
“Work will continue overnight to keep the airport clean,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a message on X.
I’m getting ready to weather the storm
Stores in Wichita were packed with shoppers stocking up on groceries ahead of the storm, and warming centers were set up at churches and libraries.
Several businesses were closed across the Kansas City area, and a school district in suburban Independence, Missouri, said it may have to cancel classes for one or more days.
“Go where you are going now and stay there. If you must travel, consider packing your bag and staying where you’re going,” the Missouri Department of Transportation said in a message to X.
The agency warned on Friday that the lack of workers could jeopardize the ability to clean the roads.
In Columbus, Ohio, crews treated major roads with anti-icing fluids.
“It’s going to be a big headache,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “The storm is not only a threat from snow but also from ice.”
Power outages could be significant, especially south of the Kansas City area, Kines said.
Temperatures are dropping, although no records have been broken
From Monday, two-thirds of the eastern country will experience dangerous cold and wind chill, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below normal as the polar vortex extends from the high Arctic.
Temperatures in Chicago on Saturday hovered in the teens (minus 7-10 Celsius) and around zero in Minneapolis (minus 18 C), while they dipped to 14 below (minus 25 C) in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Disturbances extend to the south
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday night ahead of the storm and encouraged residents to vote early Saturday ahead of the state’s special election Tuesday in a statement to X.
Similar declarations have been issued in Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and several cities in central Illinois.
“This is the real deal,” meteorologist John Gordon said at a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky. “Are the weather people blowing this out of proportion? No.”
Officials in Annapolis asked residents to remove vehicles from emergency roads. The historic state capital near the Chesapeake Bay also announced plans to open several garages Sunday for free parking.
The National Weather Service predicted 8 to 12 inches (about 20 to 30 centimeters) of snow for the Annapolis area, with temperatures well below freezing over the weekend.
A severe weather warning has been issued in Baltimore, directing agencies to provide shelter and assistance to those in need. City officials said wind chills were expected to drop to 13 degrees Fahrenheit (-10.56 degrees Celsius) overnight Saturday and remain in the twenties through Tuesday.
In Louisiana, crews raced to find a manatee that was spotted in Lake Pontchartrain before freezing 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 feel cold symptoms when the temperature drops below 68 degrees (20 Celsius).
“We are doing everything we can to get hold of this animal,” said Gabriella Harlamert, stranding and rehabilitation coordinator at Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans.
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Read more about AP’s climate reports at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
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Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland. Andrew DeMillo of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Julie Walker of New York contributed.