150m Americans brace for massive winter storm

A powerful winter storm that has more than 150 million Americans in its crosshairs began sweeping across much of the United States on Saturday – bringing heavy snow and sleet as well as freezing rain and the risk of widespread power outages.

Snowfall was already being reported Saturday morning in parts of the Plains, South and Midwest, including parts of Oklahoma, Iowa, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas and Missouri.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Saturday morning that the powerful winter storm was “ongoing” and that “precipitation was already affecting” south-central areas of the country.

Forecasters estimate that more than 160 million Americans are expected to be affected by the winter storm. Weather officials warn that widespread and prolonged power outages are possible – as well as major travel disruptions, significant tree damage and dangerous conditions.

Heavy snow is expected over a wide area from the southern Rockies and Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through the weekend, the NWS said. The NWS added that snowfall totals would likely exceed 12 inches in the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Widespread freezing rain and sleet are forecast for the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and Southeast.

The NWS warned of “catastrophic ice accumulation” from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. He added that catastrophic impacts are expected where freezing rain amounts exceed half an inch, with totals of more than 1 inch possible in parts of northern Louisiana, central and northern Mississippi, southern Tennessee and southern Appalachia.

And as a result of the storm, the agency said communities from the Southern Plains to the Northeast can expect to face “extremely cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills.”

On Friday, the agency said power outages “are certain for some, particularly in areas where the thickest ice will accumulate on trees and power lines.”

The service urged Americans on Friday to “take this storm seriously.”

As of Saturday morning, about 80,000 customers were without power nationwide, according to PowerOutage.us, including 32,500 in Texas.

Donald Trump said Friday evening on his Truth Social platform that he had been “informed of the record cold snap and historic winter storm that will hit much of the United States this weekend.”

“The Trump administration is coordinating with state and local officials,” the president said. He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) was “fully prepared to respond” less than a month after reports that his administration had developed plans to eliminate thousands of the entity’s employees.

“Stay safe and stay warm!” » Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Before the storm, at least 16 states had declared a state of emergency, including Washington DC.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned Saturday morning that the winter storm is “moving through” the state “with areas expecting up to 15 inches of snow, ice accumulation and dangerously cold temperatures.”

He urged residents to avoid traveling and to prepare.

The storm has already disrupted air travel, with more than 9,000 flights within, to or from the United States canceled on Saturday and Sunday, according to the website Flight Aware.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city was expected to receive between three and 16 inches of snow this weekend.