Brutal winter storm pounds Midwest, East Coast as over 60M face treacherous conditions

This article was published Sunday, Jan. 5. For the latest on the winter storm for Monday, Jan. 6, follow us here.

ARLINGTON, Va. ? More than 60 million Americans were under winter weather and storm advisories Sunday as a swath of the Midwest and East, already gripped by bitterly cold temperatures, braced for a historic storm after more than 2 feet of snow already fell in some areas since Friday.

"Over a dozen states are forecast to be impacted by one or more aspects of this storm," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. He said snow could exceed 6 inches in some areas and "is expected to bring travel to a standstill in places like Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Cincinnati."

Governors in several states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, declared states of emergency ahead of the weather system. And New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for seven counties while Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster.

The National Weather Service warned that some areas could see their biggest storm in more than a decade. The storm was moving toward the mid-Atlantic, where residents braced for heavy snow and cold temperatures.

Daytime temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are predicted to be 10 to 20 degrees below average from the Great Plains to the East Coast, according to the weather service.

In Arlington and the Washington, D.C., region, where some winters come and go with barely a hint of snow, the storm was forecast to hit Sunday night. The Weather Service warned of total snow and sleet accumulations from 5 to 9 inches. Amounts of 10 to 12 inches were possible in isolated spots, forecasters said.

And a second round of heavy snow was possible late Monday before the precipitation ends, the local winter weather message said.

"Today is the day, Virginia," the Virginia Department of Transportation posted Sunday on social media. "Wintry weather is headed our way (and) hazardous travel conditions are expected. Plan travel around the storm."

'Heaviest snowfall in over a decade': Mega winter storm bears down on millions

Storm could delay first school days of 2025

Hundreds of schools from the Midwest to the East Coast that were planning to reopen Monday after a two-week winter holiday break were faced with delaying restarts for a day or more.

Cincinnati Public Schools is closed Monday as snow is expected to continue overnight into the beginning of the school week. The district's snow day comes amid a slew of other closures in the area.

In Springfield, Missouri, the school district canceled school Monday due to inclement weather and icy roads. In Kentucky, some Louisville-area schools canceled classes as the storm moved into the area, bringing a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain and hazardous road conditions.

Meanwhile, Emily Roszkowski, who has taught in Arlington schools for 11 years, said she, her husband, and their daughter, Josephine, 3, will be wearing pajamas inside out and backward to encourage a snowfall. They are excited about the rare opportunity to sled on a nearby hill.

"I'm excited for the snow, especially for the kids," Roszkowski said. "But I'm also ready to get back to school and into a routine."

Nicole McCullough, a school counselor in the district for nine years, says she also plans to enjoy the snow.

"One thing I love about living in the D.C. area is experiencing all four seasons," McCullough said. "Bring on the snow!"

— John Bacon, USA TODAY; Erin Couch, Cincinnati Enquirer; Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader; Louisville Courier Journal

Tornado reported in Arkansas

Over one million people in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi were under tornado watches on Sunday, according to USA TODAY's weather alerts tracker. Several tornado watches were set to expire Sunday night in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the weather service.

The weather service's office in Little Rock, Arkansas, reported earlier Sunday that a tornado was confirmed in Lincoln County. The tornado was spotted shortly after 2 p.m. local time north of Garrett Bridge near Avery in southeastern Arkansas.

Storm stretching from Midwest to East Coast

Some of the usual targets in the Northeast, such as New York and Boston, were expecting little or no snow. Philadelphia could see 2 to 5 inches, forecasters said. Locations farther south and west were looking at more, and some of those areas were less equipped to deal with the snow and ice.

"The storm is still taking shape," meteorologist Rich Bann of the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said. "But this thing has multiple hazards from heavy snows in the Plains to significant icing covering roads farther south."

Freezing rain and ice will hit southern Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, Bann said, likely making roads hazardous and downing power lines. A wide area of the nation from Nebraska and Kansas through Ohio, Indiana, southwestern Pennsylvania, and northwestern Virginia could see from 1 inch to a foot of snow. Ice could knock out power lines and cause widespread outages, authorities warned.

AccuWeather said 30 inches could fall in some areas from northeastern Kansas through northern Missouri to west-central Illinois.

"It'll be nearly impossible to drive in some areas," Bann said.

On Sunday, Kansas and parts of northwestern Missouri were under blizzard conditions, according to the weather service. Roadways were blanketed in snow and ice, and authorities urged residents to avoid travel.

Much of the main artery in Kansas, Interstate 70, was closed throughout Sunday due to heavy snow and ice. Meanwhile, in Missouri, state police shut down a stretch of Interstate 29 to search for stranded motorists.

As of late Sunday afternoon, troopers had responded to nearly 600 stranded drivers and 285 crashes, the agency said on X, formerly Twitter.

Some areas were in recovery mode. As of Sunday morning, over 17 inches of snow had slammed Erie, Pennsylvania. Rome, New York was blasted by almost 2 feet of snow, AccuWeather reported. Parts of Upstate New York have checked in with more than 30 inches of snow in the last few days.

Travel watches issued for 19 Indiana counties

Agencies in Indiana called for only essential travel in several state counties as a wintry mix in Indiana's southern half makes roads perilous.

County emergency management workers have issued travel watches in 19 Indiana counties, signaling conditions bad enough to recommend traveling only for work or emergencies. All are in Southern Indiana except for Hamilton County.

Four Indiana counties near Louisville are under travel warnings, the highest level signaling residents should refrain from all travel, according to a statewide map. All other counties along or south of the I-70 corridor, including Marion, are under a lower warning called a travel advisory. This means hazards are largely confined to certain areas.

The National Weather Service predicts that a wintry mix with sleet and freezing drizzle will continue in the Vincennes region and hit the Bloomington area by 6 p.m. Indianapolis is forecast to receive heavy snowfall until midnight.

— Alysa Guffey and Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star

What is ahead? A week of brutal cold

Temperatures 12 to 25 degrees below normal for early-January are projected across much of the central and eastern United States for the next week, AccuWeather warned. In the short term, wind gusts Sunday and Monday will range from 20-35 mph from the Central states into parts of the Tennessee Valley will make it feel even colder.

"Should the cold wave evolve to its full potential, maximum temperature departures could plunge 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit below the historical average from the northern Plains and Midwest to the interior Southeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus said.

Farther south, however, into the warm sector of the storm, robust thunderstorms can kick up and produce severe wind gusts along the Gulf Coast.

How many flights, train trips have been canceled?

Over 1,700 U.S. flights have been canceled, and more than 7,000 delayed as of Sunday night, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest and American Airlines have been hit the hardest: Each canceled more than 100 flights Monday. More than 1,000 U.S. flights already had been canceled for Monday.

Amtrak canceled more than two dozen Sunday trains in the Midwest and East and already had canceled more than 50 trains Monday.

California not exempt from wild weather

AccuWeather forecasters say a major wind event is on the way to parts of California this week.

The iconic Santa Ana winds will race across Southern California starting Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday evening. Wind gusts are expected to peak at 50 to 70 mph, with localized gusts of up to 80 mph, AccuWeather meteorologist Gwen Fieweger said.

Some mountain areas could even reach 100 mph, she added.

Even downtown Los Angeles won't be completely spared: Gusts up to 30 mph are possible.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter weather updates: Disruptive storm brings dangerous conditions