The dangerous monster storm threatening half of the US was on Friday bearing down, with 16 states and Washington DC already declaring emergencies and areas typically unused to prolonged Arctic temperatures bracing for power failures and supply shortages.
At least 230 million people are likely to be affected by the huge winter weather system as it forms in parts of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains and surges across southern and midwestern areas from Friday, blowing up the east coast on Saturday and as far north as Maine by Sunday.
State governors have declared emergencies ahead of time that warn of mortal danger but also free up financial reserves to deal with the conditions. By early Friday, states of emergency had been announced in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina in the southern US.
Emergency declarations were also made in Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. New York added itself to the list later on Friday morning, as did Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky. And Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, declared a state of emergency in the district.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump on Friday morning posted on his social media platform: “Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before. Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”
In fact, the climate crisis is causing more instability in weather systems and patterns, disrupting the polar vortex and bringing more extremes amid rapidly rising global temperatures. Arctic temperatures are more frequently and persistently sweeping across parts of the US not accustomed to prolonged deep chills. Trump has long been a climate crisis skeptic and is determinedly pulling the US back from domestic climate action and international treaties to curb global heating driven by human-caused emissions, while spinning inaccurate information.
The American Red Cross said on its website: “Winters are getting warmer and shorter because of the climate crisis. But, because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, heavier snowfalls are more likely to occur.”
Lines have been forming at stores in several states, with residents hurriedly stocking up on supplies ranging from bottled water and electricity generators to food, toilet paper and blankets. The American Red Cross warned the public to prepare, while many local media outlets posted images on social media of empty retail shelves.
Meteorologists forecast snow, sleet and, treacherously, much freezing rain that is expected to leave thick layers of ice in many areas, potentially turning roads deadly and bringing down power lines while making clearance efforts more difficult. Authorities in southern areas are warning residents to brace for prolonged electricity outages.
Temperatures will plummet well below freezing in southern states, where such cold conditions are not typical, as well as in more northerly states that are more used to dealing with bitter and fierce winter storms.
The National Weather Service said: “Snowfall totals exceeding 12in are likely across the Ohio valley, mid-Atlantic and north-east.”
More than 100 million people across the US can expect to endure temperatures below freezing until at least next Wednesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has abruptly stopped firing people, with staff being told the agency would “cease off-boarding” workers who assist in times of disaster and whose contracts were due to expire, CNN reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.
Fema has reportedly drafted plans to eliminate thousands of staff this year, with the agency repeatedly under attack from the White House in the second Trump administration.
Fema send the following statement to the Guardian on Friday morning in response to CNN’s reporting: “This is a mischaracterization of how Fema’s CORE program works. The CORE program consists of term-limited positions that are designed to FLUCTUATE based on disaster activity, operational NEED, and available funding. Fema’s National Response Coordination Center has been activated in response to a historic winter storm, in line with this mission Fema is following standard protocol to ensure mission functions are being met. We urge the media to report on how Americans can stay safe this weekend, not create manufactured drama while a winter storm looms.”
US airlines have already canceled 1,400 domestic flights scheduled for Saturday, according to the site FlightAware, and transportation in all modes is expected to be severely affected by the storm.
Delta urged passengers traveling this weekend to reschedule their flights as the storm threatens to disrupt operations and potentially force widespread cancellations.
The airline said customers should expect flight cancellations across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, including Nashville and Raleigh–Durham, as the storm threatens to disrupt weekend travel. They added that they expect “additional schedule adjustments for Atlanta and the north-east regions” on Saturday morning.
Delta canceled flights at several airports in five states on Thursday, warning that slow operations could trigger more delays and cancellations, and complicate rebooking during one of the busiest winter travel periods.
Airlines are encouraging passengers to keep a close watch over their flight status and use mobile apps or airline websites for the quickest rebooking options as the storm advances.
Snow-removal equipment was being urgently tested out at Charlotte’s airport in North Carolina on Friday morning.
Further north, the New York state governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency for the entire state and said she was coordinating with the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
He took office on 1 January and is facing the first big test of his skills in managing operational logistics for a possible 18in of snow in a storm of a scale the city has not seen in several years.
