Winter storm brings snow, ice, power outages, flight cancellations across US

International

Powerful storm already left nearly 300,000 customers without power across 6 states, caused over 1,300 flight cancellations nationwide.

A view from the streets as heavy snow blankets the several US states in Washington D.C., United States on January 06, 2025. A state of emergency has been declared in Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri due to heavy snow, ice, heavy rain and thunderstorms in the US. In the US, cold weather conditions are effective from the east to the central regions of the country, including Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York.

A powerful winter storm blanketed Central and Eastern US states with snow and ice early Monday, creating hazardous travel conditions and causing widespread power outages and flight cancellations as it moved toward the East Coast.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey, forecasting snowfall totals unseen in a decade for some areas.

Nearly 300,000 customers were without power early Monday in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri, according to PowerOutage.us. In Indiana, the National Guard was activated to assist stranded motorists as snow and ice blanketed major highways.

The storm has canceled over 1,300 flights nationwide, including significant disruptions at Washington, DC-area airports. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported 239 cancellations, while Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport saw 109 canceled flights.

Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland braced for up to a foot of snow, with federal offices and schools closed and snow emergencies declared. The district deployed nearly 250 snowplows to clear streets, DC Transportation Department director Sharon Kershbaum told ABC news.

If the capital gets more than 8.3 inches (21.1 centimeters) of snow, it would mark its biggest snowstorm since 2016, when a massive 45.2 centimeters (17.8 inches) fell, according to several U.S. media outlets, citing forecasters.