A vast winter storm is poised to unleash catastrophic damage, extensive power outages, and bitterly cold weather across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, with Texas and Oklahoma already bracing for treacherous conditions.
Forecasters predict heavy snow and ice will make roadways perilous from Friday onwards.
The impending storm has already caused significant disruption, with over 800 flights already delayed or canceled. Airports in major hubs such as Dallas, Atlanta, and Oklahoma have been affected, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Authorities are mobilising resources in anticipation of the severe weather.
Oklahoma’s Department of Transportation has pretreated roads with salt brine, while the state Highway Patrol has canceled troopers' days off to ensure maximum assistance. They are also partnering with the National Guard to aid stranded drivers.
The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, issued a stark warning online, "Travel is going to become more and more treacherous starting late Friday afternoon and lasting through the rest of the weekend."
The storm's impact on daily life is already evident. Oklahoma City Public Schools canceled all classes and activities for Friday due to anticipated deteriorating road conditions. Frigid temperatures led Houston schools to close on Friday, implementing an e-learning day for public school students.
In Dallas, schools were expected to open, but officials canceled all after-school activities for Friday and throughout the weekend.
In Houston, a utility company has prepared for the worst, with 3,300 employees on standby. Houston Mayor John Whitmire posted online, "It’s all hands on deck. We’re hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst."
The massive weather system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the South.
Further north, around 11 inches (30 cm) of snow could fall from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. Following this, a final punch of bitterly cold air is forecast, potentially dropping wind chills to -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-46 degrees Celsius) in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Forecasters are warning that the damage, particularly in areas hit by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.
Approximately 160 million people are currently under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings, with many areas facing both.
The extreme cold, streaming down from Canada, has already prompted school closures in Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa, for Friday. Wind chills as low as -34.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-37 degrees Celsius) could cause frostbite within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous for children to walk to school or wait for buses.
The prolonged cold snap means a slow thaw, posing a significant risk in areas where ice and snow could weigh down tree branches and power lines, leading to electricity cuts that could last for days.
Roads and pavements are expected to remain icy well into next week. Ice can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches, making them highly susceptible to snapping, especially in windy conditions. Freezing temperatures are even expected to reach Florida.
Five years ago, a severe cold snap crippled Texas’s power grid, leaving millions without electricity for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott stated on Thursday that such an event would not recur, asserting that the power system "has never been stronger."
However, winter storms are notoriously difficult to forecast, with forecasters noting that the precise locations of the worst weather often cannot be pinpointed until the event begins.
In response to the looming threat, governors in Georgia and Mississippi have declared states of emergency. Public concern is high, with residents rushing to prepare. In Huntsville, Alabama, Jomo’s Power Equipment, Parts & Service Inc. sold dozens of generators within a day and ordered an emergency shipment to meet demand. Bryan Hill, the store's manager, said on Thursday: "I’d say 95% of the calls were generator-related or either service or ‘Do you have any generators in stock’."
Lindsay Sylvester, from Toney, Alabama, stocked up early in the week on bread and other supplies, even sending her college-aged son bread, gloves, candles, and hand warmers. She noted that supplies were already depleting: "A couple of people I heard talking about they had gone to Walmart and there was no milk, no bread. All the necessities were gone."
As a precaution, North Carolina’s largest public school system has prepared for potentially several days out of physical classrooms next week, instructing teachers to create three days of assignments accessible online or via paper copies. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger urged residents to prepare for days without power or the ability to leave their neighbourhoods.
Dave Parker, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, pleaded for patience and advised people to stay home if possible once the storm hits. At a busy grocery store near downtown Dallas, Kennedi Mallard and Frank Green loaded two shopping trolleys with supplies, reporting bare shelves inside. Green observed: "No water, no eggs, no butter, no ground meat."
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