Every state in the country is under a weather warning as the Midwest prepares for up to a foot of snowstorm.
Multiple weather hazards are impacting the country, with the National Weather Service (NWS) now issuing a weather warning for every state.
Blizzard, tornado, flood, avalanche and wind warnings were all activated, with one wind warning extending nearly 2,000 miles from Texas to New England.
Heavy snow is currently spreading across the Midwest, with the NWS reporting one to three inches falling every hour.
Forecasters have already warned that parts of Montana, especially Lewistown and Havre, will see temperatures drop to -48F due to extreme wind chill.
Iowa Department of Administrative Services plows snow on top of Capitol parking ramp as snowstorms hit Des Moines, Friday, January 12, 2024
Multiple weather hazards are impacting the country, with the National Weather Service (NWS) now issuing a weather warning for every state
The storm left the Plains on Thursday and moved east and continues to strengthen, leaving the Midwest blanketed in snow.
Images of snowstorms in Illinois and Iowa have already appeared on social media.
Conditions across the country have left 66 million people under winter weather warnings, from Oregon to New York.
The National Weather Service in Des Moines warned, “Travel is expected to become hazardous Friday morning.
‘The blowing snow is expected to significantly reduce visibility to near white conditions by Friday afternoon and into early Saturday.
‘The wind chills of as low as 10 to 20 degrees below zero can cause frostbite to exposed skin within 30 minutes and can be potentially life-threatening if stranded outside.’
It was 11 degrees below zero in Bismarck, North Dakota, on Friday morning, and forecasters warned the weekend will get even worse.
At higher elevations, heavy snow, high winds and whiteout conditions were expected to shroud the Cascade Mountains and make travel “very difficult to impossible,” the weather service said.
Fresh snow, measured at several feet in some areas, already blanketed the Cascades earlier this week.
Friday morning, road crews in Iowa and Nebraska struggled to stay ahead of rapidly falling snow.
The Iowa Department of Transportation’s map showed nearly every major highway and highway partially or completely covered.
The agency said driver visibility was “near zero” in some places, and the wind-driven drifts quickly obliterated the work of plow drivers.
The Iowa State Patrol posted photos of an icy wreck. “Please do not endanger yourself or others,” the agency wrote. ‘The road conditions are extremely dangerous!’
The Iowa Department of Transportation’s map showed nearly every major highway and highway partially or completely covered
Friday morning, road crews in Iowa and Nebraska struggled to stay ahead of rapidly falling snow
Conditions across the country have left 66 million people under winter weather warnings, from Oregon to New York
Areas of Alabama and Mississippi will also see an increased risk of severe thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes as the storm moves east.
A severe weather forecast was issued from Mississippi to North Carolina on Friday due to damaging winds, tornadoes and flash flooding.
When the system finally clears on Saturday, strong winds will blow across the Great Lakes, creating lake-effect snow in certain areas.
Snow showers are also expected in northeastern and northern New England.
Due to the weather, a total of 1,643 flights have been canceled and 1,238 flights delayed as of Friday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration had warned Thursday that clouds, snow and gusty winds could delay flights at certain airports.
United Airlines Holdings topped the list of cancellations with 238 flights, followed by Southwest Airlines’ 215 flights.
It has also canceled some flights through Saturday as it awaits regulatory approval to resume operating Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 jets in the country.
In addition to grounded flights, website Poweroutage reported that there are currently 96,000 people without power in Illinois.
It is also reported that another 23,642 people in the state of Wisconsin have been plunged into darkness.
This latest storm comes after another massive storm that devastated much of the country earlier this week, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
That storm, which began Monday, buried cities across the Midwest, stranded people on highways and killed five people.
A person clears snow from his car during a snowstorm in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday, January 9, 2024
In Wisconsin, one person was killed in a car crash Tuesday morning during heavy snowfall due to poor road conditions.
While another accident left a 35-year-old woman dead in Webber Township, Michigan, on Tuesday afternoon.
In Alabama, an 81-year-old woman was killed Tuesday morning when a possible tornado blew over her mobile home several times while she was inside.
Another person died after homes in a mobile home park in Claremont, North Carolina were damaged by severe weather.
In Jonesboro, Georgia, a tree crashed into the windshield of a car on Tuesday, killing the driver.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had to declare a state of emergency ahead of the storm, which left streets and roads flooded and rivers rising
New York City officials evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants housed in a sprawling tent complex before the storm hit, fearing it could collapse in high winds.
Photos showed the migrant families sleeping on the floor of a Brooklyn high school, whose students were forced to move to remote locations on Wednesday as a result of the short-term move.
In Vermont, the storm brought wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour and heavy, wet snow followed by rain, leaving nearly 30,000 homes without power Wednesday morning. Many schools were closed or had a delayed opening.