Winter Storm Threatens 180 Million With Catastrophic Ice Risk
National Weather Service warns of potentially catastrophic ice and forecasts up to 22 inches of snow in parts of the central U.S.
Overview
The National Weather Service warned of potentially "catastrophic accumulation" of ice as a winter storm starting Friday is forecast to affect more than 180 million people from Texas to New England, officials said.
Forecasters said as little as a half-inch (1.27 cm) of ice can topple trees and power lines, raising the risk of prolonged outages in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee.
At least 14 states and Washington, D.C., declared states of emergency and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 counties, officials confirmed.
Forecasts show up to 22 inches of snow for cities including Oklahoma City (18–22 inches) and Louisville (up to 22 inches), while New York City is forecast for 10–18 inches, meteorologist Nikki Nolan said.
The storm will run Friday through Monday and will be followed by a cold blast with wind chills near minus 50 F in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, the National Weather Service said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the storm as an urgent public-safety crisis, prioritizing extreme-risk and infrastructure-vulnerability angles. They foreground official warnings, state emergency declarations, and historical consequences to heighten threat perception; editorial choices — alarmist headlines, live-update structure, and selective emphasis on outages and deaths — amplify meteorologists' and officials' dire language.
Sources (52)
FAQ
Areas from eastern Texas to western North Carolina face more than 1/2 inch of ice, with up to 1 inch in northern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama, potentially causing power outages and tree damage.[1]
Texas (134 counties), Louisiana, Alabama (19 counties), Tennessee (statewide), Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Ohio have declared emergencies or mobilized resources.[2]
Up to 22 inches in Oklahoma City and Louisville, 10–18 inches in New York City, and more than 8 inches from Oklahoma through Kentucky and Tennessee.[1]
The storm runs from Friday through Monday, followed by a cold blast with wind chills near -50°F in Minnesota and North Dakota, and below-zero in the southern Plains.[1]
As little as half an inch of ice can topple trees and power lines, leading to prolonged outages, extensive damage, and impassable roads in states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.[1]
History
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