Winter storm system to hit large parts of U.S. this weekend : NPR

A National Weather Service graphic shows areas at risk of at least moderate impacts from snow and ice Friday through Monday. A massive winter storm will affect millions of people in the United States this weekend.

National Weather Service

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National Weather Service

A massive winter storm system is expected to sweep across the country this weekend, stretching from central Texas to the Northeast.

The National Weather Service says the system will dump heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Southern Plains to the Mid-South beginning Friday. The storm is expected to move across the East Coast through the weekend, according to an NWS bulletin released Wednesday.

The NWS warned of “hazardous travel conditions, extended power outages and tree damage” across the southeastern United States. Government officials in these areas are asking residents to avoid traveling and prepare for possible power outages.

A blast of cold air from Canada will mix with warmer air from the south, leading to significant accumulations of snow and ice, forecasters said.

Wind chills may fall below -50 degrees Fahrenheit in the Northern Plains, including parts of North Dakota and Minnesota, while residents from Texas to North Carolina could experience wind chills below zero, according to the NWS.

Forecasters are confident in their predictions of a “severe and prolonged winter storm,” but specific details on exactly where the storm will hit and how much precipitation will fall may change.

Late Wednesday afternoon, winter storm watches were issued for large areas in several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia.

It’s “the most significant” widespread winter storm the country has seen in some time, said Jason Furtado, an associate professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.

“We’re going to see snow and ice come all the way south,” Furtado said. “We’re talking areas of Oklahoma, Texas, the Southeast, even parts of Georgia all the way to the Piedmont.”

Furtado said that beyond the snow, extreme temperatures would plunge much of the southern United States into the single digits.

“It’s not just about precipitation,” Furtado said. “It’s also the extreme cold that’s coming behind us.”

Texans remember the storm of 2021

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state’s emergency response resources ahead of the storm.

“Based on current forecasts, the State of Texas is acting to ensure Texans have the resources they need before severe winter weather impacts communities across Texas,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday, urging Texans to prepare for ice, snow and freezing rain.

Allison Prater, an NWS meteorologist in Fort Worth, Texas, said the frigid temperatures caused by this storm would not last as long or be as low as they were in 2021, when another winter storm left millions without power in subzero temperatures for days. In Texas, at least 246 deaths have been linked to the 2021 winter storm and power outage that lasted several days.

“In 2021, the minimum temperature was minus 2” in Texas, Prater said. “While right now, according to our forecast, the minimum temperature will only be around… 9 to 10.”

Still, Prater said, it will be “dangerously cold.”

“We want people to be prepared,” Prater said. “We want people to be ready by Friday because conditions and dangers will worsen throughout the weekend.”

Ed Hirs, an energy expert at the University of Houston, said that even though the Texas grid is more resilient than it was five years ago, the cold snap could freeze wind turbines or have other impacts that disrupt power generation.

Due to the state’s large geographic area, it is difficult for the power grid operator to isolate problem systems, he explained.

“So a problem in Austin could lead to a failure in Dallas or Houston,” Hirs said.

Other states are preparing

Other states are also preparing for this major storm. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the state began planning its response to the storm a few days ago.

“We’re already looking ahead to next weekend,” Kemp said. “We will be prepared, treating the roads, preparing the crews. Hopefully we will have snow and not ice.”

In a Facebook post, Kemp urged residents to “get food, stock up on gas, and make sure you’re prepared for any potential power loss.”

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein asked residents to “be prepared, especially for possible power outages.” The governor directed residents to the state’s emergency information website. He announced a state of emergency on Wednesday.

In Tennessee, Charles Dalton, a meteorologist at the NWS office in Morristown, said ice is a major concern in the state.

“This is starting to bring the possibility of power outages, downed trees and really, really dangerous travel,” Dalton said.

He said he expects the impacts of the storm to linger for several days afterward.

“The impacts on travel and perhaps some power outages will be the greatest, which is problematic because behind the system, very cold air is going to come in,” Dalton said. “So whatever comes next this weekend is probably going to stick with us for a few days early next week.”