The heaviest snowfall in the last ten years, with a thickness of 38 centimeters or more in some areas and serious consequences for transport. This is the scenario that awaits much of the United States, with a storm that will make travel “extremely dangerous, with impassable roads,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
All of this, combined with accumulations of more than a centimeter of ice in some areas – as well as widespread damage to trees from strong gusts of wind – could lead to “prolonged power outages”.
The first major storm of 2025 is already disrupting travel. A video posted by the Weather Channel shows how Cars skid on Kansas roads ice covers and tractor trailers fold dangerously.
The NWS issued notices of blizzard in Kansas and Missouriwith a belt of winter storm and ice storm warnings extending to the US capital on the East Coast, putting an unusually wide swath of 2,400 kilometers under immediate threat. American Airlines issued a travel advisory covering 46 airports from Kansas to New Jersey.
A mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow has begun to hit Kansas early this Sunday morning, with the streets in some towns looking like “skating rinks,” according to some witnesses. However, the latest NWS forecast suggested the worst was yet to come, with winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour in the state.
As the storm continues, “snow will significantly reduce visibility,” according to the NWS, and snow accumulations between 20 and 36 centimeters from northeastern Missouri through the central Appalachians.
Areas around Washington could see up to 25 centimeters during the night from Sunday to Monday, so “dangerous travel and closures” are likely, according to the ‘Washington Post’.
This could complicate the task of American legislatorswho by constitutional mandate must meet at the Capitol on January 6 to certify the winner of last year’s presidential elections.
«Whether there is a blizzard or not, we cannot delay that certification. I hope we have full attendance,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News Sunday.
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