A large, powerful and dangerous winter storm is taking aim at about one-third of the nation this weekend. It rapidly moved from the Central Plains to the Midwest and is heading toward the Northeast.
The storm is expected to drop snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice in many places. After that, temperatures are expected to turn bitterly cold.
- In Iowa Friday, a truck jack-knifed on snow-covered Interstate 35. Wind-driven snow had reduced visibility to less than half a mile on many of the state’s roads.
- In Minnesota, the interstate was closed Friday after accidents. Parts of the state may get more than eight inches of snow this weekend.
- In Omaha, Nebraska, a Southwest airlines plane skidded off an icy runway Friday. There were no reported injuries.
More than 1,100 flights were canceled Saturday due to the weather.
Follow along below for updates:
Winter storm doesn’t stop some Midwesterners
Many people across the Midwest woke up to see a coating of snow or ice on Saturday. Areas where the storm had already moved out by midday faced bitter cold and strong winds.
Some Midwesterns didn’t let it keep the indoors. Celeste Tremmel was outside in Detroit on Saturday training for a marathon. The 56-year-old chugged slowly through the several-inch-deep snow.
“When you run a marathon, you run no matter the weather,” she said.
Tremmel said running in snow is “like running in sand, so you have to go a lot slower.”
Connecticut governor to hold news briefing
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont will hold a news briefing Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET to update residents as the state prepares for the storm.
Lamont announced on Saturday that he will “partially activate” Connecticut’s Emergency Operations Center starting at 6:00 p.m. to monitor storm conditions.
“Forecasts are showing a range of accumulating snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” his office said in a news release Saturday.
1,600 plows being deployed across NYC
Salt spreaders are hitting the streets as the Tri-State area prepares for the winter weather headed its way, CBS New York reported.
About 700 spreaders and 1,600 plows will be deployed this weekend across New York City. Extra precautions are being taken to make sure the city is better prepared than it was just a few months ago, when thousands of drivers were stalled in traffic all night during a minor snowstorm.
This time, public works and utility crews were getting prepared on Friday.
Officials warn of flight disruptions
Officials have warned of flight disruptions at airports, as well as possible changes in train schedules.
By Saturday morning, 1,135 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled for Saturday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport reported that airlines there canceled nearly 470 flights “due to overnight snow and strong winds expected throughout the day.” It advised travelers to get updates from airlines.
Amtrak canceled some trains Saturday from Chicago to Washington and New York and between New York and Boston and Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Chicago is forecast to receive as much as 8 inches by Saturday and wind gusts in the Chicago area are expected to reach 35 mph.
N.J. and Pennsylvania declare states of emergency
On Friday, New Jersey and Pennsylvania declared states of emergency.
“This storm has the potential to deliver every, every winter weather option that mother nature has,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe said at a news conference.
In New Jersey, the state of emergency will go into effect at noon Saturday. “Our top priority is the safety of New Jerseyans, and we urge residents to stay off the roads and prepare for potential power outages,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
Winter storm warnings issued for the weekend
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for the weekend from the Dakotas across the Great Lakes states and into New England. It warned that conditions in the Northeast “could approach blizzard criteria.”
Ice was also a possibility in some areas in the path of the storm, which was forecast to dump up to 2 feet of snow.
The National Weather Service in Albany, New York, said snow could fall at a rate of 1 to 3 inches an hour, creating “difficult to impossible travel conditions” in areas.
In New York City, the worst of the storm is expected from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, with snow accumulations of 3-6 inches followed by rain that could turn to ice as temperatures drop later Sunday. Single-digit temperatures could last into Monday.
