Travel banned until Monday due to ice and snow
In today’s forecast feed, Bernie Rayno looks at the weekend winter storm that will impact much of the United States.
A major winter storm continues to batter the United States, bringing snow, ice and frigid temperatures to dozens of states from Texas to Maine, leaving thousands without power.
Ice, freezing rain, and snow are expected to begin falling in parts of the South on Saturday, Jan. 24, and continue into Sunday, Jan. 25, with “sleet accumulations equal to 1 to 3 inches,” according to the National Weather Service. A sleet-filled Sunday could bring severe thunderstorms to parts of the central Gulf Coast.
On Sunday morning, the storm turned east, bringing a mix of wintry cold conditions from the Carolinas to New York. Heavy snow is starting to fall on the Mid-Atlantic coast and Northeast, with up to 18 inches possible in New England, the National Weather Service said.
Frigid temperatures and icy conditions are expected to complicate storm cleanup as snow-covered roads impede the efforts of utility workers and emergency responders.
“This winter, people could be stuck in their homes for days without electricity or heat during some of the coldest weather on record,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said in a statement. “Roads have been cleared as a result of this historic winter storm, and it will take several days for air service to fully restore.”
2026 Winter Storm: See Live Radar Map
See where the winter storm is currently on this radar map.
When will the winter storm arrive?
Snow continued to fall in parts of the Plains, including Texas and Kansas, and snow began falling along much of the East Coast from North Carolina to New York City just before 9 a.m. local time on Sunday, January 25, the National Weather Service announced.
Snow and sleet are falling at a rate of about an inch per hour along the Virginia-North Carolina border, and the precipitation is expected to continue into Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
A winter storm warning is in effect for Kentucky until 6 p.m. local time Sunday, with snow amounts expected to be between a quarter and a half inch, up to 2 inches.
Meanwhile, areas of New England could see snowflakes starting around 10 a.m. local time on Sunday. Most of the weather in Boston will improve after noon Sunday, with winds of 8 to 14 mph and gusts up to 42 mph that night, the weather service said.
How many states are affected?
The storm will extend eastward from eastern Arizona and Utah, including most or all of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware. Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The weather service also said parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Wyoming are also affected.
President Donald Trump has issued emergency disaster declarations for South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia. At least 19 states have declared states of emergency.
How long is the storm expected to last?
The storm will continue across much of the United States until Monday, January 26, and in the Northeast until Tuesday, January 27, according to the National Weather Service.
More snow is expected Monday in parts of the south-central High Plains, including Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as parts of Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas. Areas of the Northeast as far as Maine could see snow accumulation into early Tuesday morning.
AccuWeather meteorologists say a combination of heavy snow accumulation, freezing cold and icy conditions will likely create hazardous travel conditions Monday morning.
