A massive storm, considered a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event, is expected to impact large areas of the United States from the end of the week into the weekend.
Recently, certain regions of the US experienced sleet and heavy snow during the Christmas season, leading to significant travel disruptions.
As the weekend approaches, millions of Americans may face challenging weather conditions with subzero temperatures, heavy snowfall, and ice, leading to major disruptions.
Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warned that the storm could be a ‘widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas.’
“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” Maue stated, according to the Associated Press.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue expressed concerns, stating, “I think people are underestimating just how bad it’s going to be.”
The storm’s reach could extend from New Mexico to New England, potentially affecting approximately 250 million people according to Wednesday’s (January 21) forecast.
Maue explained, “The atmosphere is aligned perfectly that the pattern is locked into this warm Arctic, cold continent. And it’s not just here for us in North America, but the landmass of Eastern Europe to Siberia is also exceptionally cold. The whole hemisphere has gone into the deep freeze.”
Cold air from Canada is expected to meet rain moving eastward across the Southern US, leading to challenging conditions.
This interaction between cold air and rain may result in ‘a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in’.
The severe weather conditions are expected to disrupt operations at many airports nationwide, including those in Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor, most regions east of the Rockies will experience snow or ice in the coming days, along with extremely cold temperatures.
“We’re looking at the potential for impactful ice accumulation. So the kind of ice accumulation that could cause significant or widespread power outages or potentially significant tree damage,” Taylor noted.
While it’s challenging to predict the exact amount of snow accumulation, experts anticipate ‘significant snowfall accumulations’ in regions such as the ‘Tennessee and Ohio valleys, the central Appalachians, and then into the mid-Atlantic, and perhaps into the portions of the northeast’.
Meteorologist Dylan Federico highlighted the severity of the situation on X, describing it as a ‘destructive and potentially catastrophic ice storm’.
He mentioned, “Widespread ice will cripple travel, cause major power outages, and down trees. This is a rare high-impact event — potentially the worst in decades since the Great Ice Storm of February 1994.”
Residents in Dallas, Shreveport, Atlanta, and Charlotte are advised to ‘prepare like a hurricane is coming’ and to ‘forget’ about traveling north this weekend.