Massive Ice‑Storm System Threatens Over 100 Million From New Mexico to New England
Updated (18 articles)
Storm Spans More Than 1,500 Miles From New Mexico to New England Forecasters expect a winter system to affect more than two dozen states, stretching from New Mexico through the Deep South to New England and the Mid‑Atlantic [1][2][3][5]. The storm will bring heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, with potential snow totals of 4‑10 inches and ice accumulations of 0.5‑2 inches in the hardest‑hit areas [4][5]. Roughly 100 million people sit under winter weather watches, warnings or advisories as the system moves Friday‑Saturday [1][2].
Ice Accumulations Threaten Trees, Power Lines, and Infrastructure Ice weighing down trees and power lines could trigger outages comparable to a major hurricane, while sub‑zero temperatures risk pipe bursts and livestock loss [2][4][5]. Forecasts warn that ice could linger on roads and sidewalks, increasing travel hazards and prolonging power disruptions [1][3]. Extreme cold behind the storm may set dozens of daily high and low temperature records across the Midwest, Plains and South [3].
States Declare Emergencies and Mobilize Resources North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency; Texas activated emergency resources for stranded motorists and utility monitoring [3][4]. Public works in Mississippi, Tennessee and other states deployed hundreds of salt, brine, beet‑juice and snow‑plow assets, even naming plows like “Dolly Plowton” and “Snowlene” [1]. In Atlanta, hardware stores sold out of ice‑melt bags within hours, reflecting widespread household preparation [2].
Arctic Air Will Extend Bitter Cold Into Next Week An Arctic air mass feeding the storm will push sub‑zero wind chills into the Upper Midwest and drive daily high temperatures into the 20s‑30s elsewhere [3]. Central Texas is expected to remain below freezing for about 2.5 days, with North Texas experiencing 3.5‑4 days of freezing conditions, threatening pipes and livestock [4][5]. Officials warn impacts could linger into early next week, urging residents to stock food, gas and heat [3].
Sources (5 articles)
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[1]
AP: Preparations Intensify as Ice Storm Looms Across the South and Midwest: Details statewide plow deployments, salt‑brine assets, and the 100 million people under winter weather alerts .
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[2]
AP: Winter Storms Threaten Broad Section of US from New Mexico to New England: Highlights hardware‑store melt sales, emergency declarations, and potential hurricane‑scale damage .
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[3]
CNN: Winter Storm Targets More Than Two Dozen States with Ice and Snow; Emergencies Declared: Covers the storm’s 1,500‑mile track, state emergency actions, and expected record‑breaking cold .
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[4]
Newsweek: Texas Braces for Expansive Winter Storm With Life‑Threatening Cold: Focuses on Texas watches, snowfall forecasts, and extreme cold impacts on pipes and livestock .
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[5]
Newsweek: Winter Storm Fern Could Bring Catastrophic Ice Across Dozens of Cities: Emphasizes historic ice potential, uncertain track, and meteorologists urging hurricane‑style preparations .
Stories about this story (7 stories)
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AP: Preparations intensify as ice storm looms across the South and Midwest
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AP: Winter storms threaten broad section of US from New Mexico to New England
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Texas‑to‑Carolina Winter Storm Brings Historic Ice, Snow, and Sub‑Freezing Cold (6 articles)
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ERCOT Mobilizes Resources as Arctic Cold Front Threatens Texas Power Grid (2 articles)
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Rare Snow Dusts Florida Panhandle Grass for Second Consecutive Year (3 articles)
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Winter Storm Dumps Snow From Alaska to Texas, Prompting Widespread Advisories (3 articles)
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Winter Pause: 240 Million Experience Unseasonal Warmth Across U.S. (2 articles)
All related articles (18 articles)
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AP: Preparations intensify as ice storm looms across the South and Midwest
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AP: Winter storms threaten broad section of US from New Mexico to New England
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CNN: Winter storm targets more than two dozen states with ice and snow; emergencies declared
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Newsweek: Texas Braces for Expansive Winter Storm With Life-Threatening Cold
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Newsweek: Winter Storm Fern Could Bring Catastrophic Ice Across Dozens of Cities
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AP: Ice storm threatens southern states as Arctic air meets Gulf moisture
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WBNS (Columbus, OH): Major winter storm to blast the South with ice and snow through Sunday
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King5 (Seattle, WA): Major winter storm to blanket South with rain, snow and ice from Texas to the Carolinas
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Newsweek: ERCOT says grid ready as winter storm looms in Texas
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Newsweek: Winter storm could bring ice and snow to Texas as ERCOT monitors grid
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AP: Florida Panhandle sees rare snow for second year as cold front sweeps through
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Newsweek: Winter storm brings snow to multiple states Friday with some areas starting Thursday night
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Newsweek: NWS Amarillo warns Texas Panhandle likely to see snow as storm approaches
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WBNS (Columbus, OH): Record warmth grips most of the U.S. as winter takes a break
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King5 (Seattle, WA): Record warmth blankets most of the U.S. as winter takes a break
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WBNS (Columbus, OH): Snow can occur in every U.S. state, including Hawaii and Florida
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King5 (Seattle, WA): Snow has fallen in every U.S. state, including Hawaii and Florida
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Newsweek: Texas Panhandle to Receive Several Inches of Snow Thursday, Winter Weather Advisories Issued
External resources (10 links)
- https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/ (cited 2 times)
- https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=LUB&wwa=winter%20weather%20advisory (cited 1 times)
- https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Winter%20Storm%20Watch (cited 1 times)
- https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/coldest-day-of-the-year (cited 1 times)
- https://www.weather.gov/ (cited 1 times)
- https://www.weather.gov/ama/ (cited 1 times)
- https://www.weather.gov/lwx/warningsdefined#Winter%20Storm%20Watch (cited 1 times)