A powerful winter storm swept across the U.S. on Sunday, affecting over 60 million people from Kansas to New Jersey with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Winter weather warnings spanned more than a dozen states.
Blizzard conditions struck Kansas and northwest Missouri, prompting road closures, including a major stretch of Interstate 70. Missouri state police reported nearly 600 stranded drivers and 285 crashes, as troopers searched shut-down highways for motorists. Total snowfall ranged from six to 12 inches across southern Ohio to Washington, D.C.
The storm forced hundreds of schools, including those in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington, and Philadelphia, to cancel Monday classes. Freezing rain and sleet threatened hazardous ice accumulations in northern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.
In the South, the storm’s back end triggered severe thunderstorms with potential tornadoes across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Flight disruptions were widespread, with over 275 cancellations reported in Kansas City and St. Louis.
Governors in Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Virginia declared states of emergency. In Washington, D.C., federal offices will be closed Monday, though lawmakers vowed to proceed with certifying Donald Trump’s presidential election.
The storm is expected to move offshore by Monday night, but arctic air will follow, bringing temperatures 10 to 20°F below average from the Great Plains to the East Coast.
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