More than half of the United States is set to face one of the most widespread and threatening winter storms in years, one that threatens to deliver a potentially historic blow of snow and ice.
The long-running storm begins on Friday, and by the time it ends on Monday, it will have dropped a foot or more of snow and destructive amounts of ice along its 1,500-mile path from Texas to the northeast.
Major Northeast cities like New York and Philadelphia could get their most snow in at least four years, while major cities in the South deal with troubling amounts of snow.
More than 160 million people across more than twenty states are under winter storm or snow storm warnings, from the Southern Rockies and Plains, to New England.
Major road and airport travel disruptions are forecast across the storm’s entire footprint, and widespread and potentially prolonged power outages are also possible, particularly from its southern snowstorm.
The record-breaking cold will only worsen the storm and its impacts by causing snow and ice to accumulate faster on roads, making them harder to handle, and possibly leaving those who lose power shivering without heat for days.
Travel impacts and power outages could last at least into early next week for areas that see significant snow and ice totals.
Here’s the latest on the storm:
Binary shifts, with huge implications
The track of this storm has become clearer and moved to the north during the last few days.
That shift implied more of the Midwest and Northeast with heavy snow while still delivering destructive snow across much of the South.
Its track can still move a little, and this can have an impact on the exact amounts of frozen rain, sleet and snow that each area receives, with dramatic effects.
“Even small changes can lead to large changes in local impacts,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
It all starts on Friday in the Plains where the large collection of moist storm air begins to collide with Arctic air. Over the weekend, frigid temperatures will continue to feed the storm’s expanding footprint in the East and Northeast, covering more than two dozen states from the Plains to the South and Northeast.
The storm will finally exit New England by late Monday after dumping more snow and high winds across the region and contributing to even more travel disruptions.
The snow can knock out power for many
Ice damage from freezing rain is the most serious threat of the storm.
Freezing rain causes ice to build up on surfaces, and its tremendous amount of added weight can topple trees and power lines. The amount of snow in the worst case scenario for this storm could cause many power outages, some of which could last for a long time. But power outages are expected even in the most likely scenario.
Southern portions of North and East Texas in the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, northern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas and Virginia are at the greatest risk for significant snow and power outages based on current forecasts. This includes major cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Tupelo, Mississippi; Greenville, South Carolina; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Portions of metro Atlanta could also see impact snow, but that is more uncertain due to a battle between cold air coming from the north and a surge of warm air from the south.
Travel can be disrupted around major cities even with smaller amounts of snow.
Threat of heavy snow from the Plains to the East Coast
Heavy snow will accumulate for a wide area north of the storm’s freezing rain zone.
Snow totals are likely to range from 6 to 12 inches for parts of more than a dozen states, extending from Oklahoma and Kansas through the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys and into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Some could see more than a foot of snow.
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Louisville, Kentucky, Washington, DC, New York City and Boston are all in this snow zone. In some places, snow can fall at rates of an inch or more per hour at times.
Tulsa may see a foot of snow for the first time in nearly 15 years. A foot of snow in Paducah, Kentucky, would be the first there since March 2015.
New York City and Philadelphia could see their first snowstorm of 6 inches or more in nearly four years.
The southern edge of the snow zone in the Plains, Midwest and South may mix with sleet or freezing rain, complicating forecasts and making potential snowfall totals less certain. Parts of the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC, to New York City may also mix with sleet and freezing rain after the snow.
States prepare for the worst
States of emergency are in effect for at least five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas and Virginia – ahead of the storm.
The orders help free up and mobilize resources to respond and prepare for the storm.
“I encourage all North Carolinians to stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so that first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said in a news release. Officials warned that the storm could have an impact on all the state’s roads.
“Some places may see winter weather like they haven’t seen in years,” North Carolina Transportation Sec. Daniel Johnson said. “The storm has our full attention.”
Crews across North Carolina, Arkansas and Texas were treating roads and bridges, but officials warned that impacts will likely continue into next week.
The long-term nature is why Georgia’s state of emergency lasts for seven days with the impending winter storm, Governor Brian Kemp said Thursday. Kemp said he authorized calling 500 National Guards to be on standby as needed. The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin treating the roads early Saturday morning.
“Take this time to secure food, fill up on gas and make sure you’re prepared for any potential power loss,” Kemp urged Wednesday.
Aisles and shelves sit empty as people in Oklahoma City stock up on groceries in preparation for a winter storm on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. – Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/Image Images
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott announced a disaster declaration covering 134 counties, ensuring that additional resources are available to counties to respond to any issues from the storm.
In 2021, a winter storm knocked out the state’s independent grid and left millions without power for days. Pablo Vegas, the president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the grid, told reporters Thursday that there are no reliability concerns this time.
Record cold possible
The arctic cold invasion that will feed this winter storm will arrive in the Midwest and Plains Thursday through Friday and then spread to the South and East over the weekend. Dozens of locations could break daily high and low temperature records, especially over the weekend into early next week.
Temperatures will be more than 30 degrees below average through Friday across much of the Midwest and Plains. This is significant since mid to late January is when average temperatures are already at their lowest for many places east of the Rockies.
The worst of the cold will push into parts of the South while also spreading into the North East on Saturday, leaving thermometers as much as 20 to 40 degrees colder than average.
CNN Temp
Dallas-Fort Worth could break record lows Sunday and Monday morning, possibly bottoming out in the single digits on Monday. Shreveport, Louisiana, could do the same Monday and Tuesday morning as lows drop into the teens.
CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman and CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
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