A massive winter storm is bearing down on the United States, and meteorologists are calling it potentially the most significant weather event in years. More than 200 million people across more than 35 states are in the path of a winter storm that's expected to extend over 2,000 miles and deliver crippling snow and ice, beginning Friday.
The storm system could be "one of the biggest ice storms we've seen in years" as it develops late Friday and spreads eastward through Sunday. Arctic air coming down is meeting the warm, moist air of the Gulf, and that's overriding into the colder air. As that rain falls, it freezes. This creates a perfect recipe for disaster: half of an inch of ice could be catastrophic, with ice potentially weighing down trees and power lines.
The scope of this system will be immense, with snow and ice stretching from the Southwest through Texas and Oklahoma, across the South and Tennessee Valley, before eventually reaching the Mid-Atlantic coast. 8 to 14 inches of snow are expected in Oklahoma City, 6 to 12 inches in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 5 to 10 inches in Amarillo, Texas.
This isn't just a typical winter storm. Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the polar vortex to send the nation a devastating dose of winter weather, with the eastern two-thirds of the nation threatened by a winter storm that could rival the damage of a major hurricane. About 230 million people face temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius or colder and around 150 million are likely to be hit by snow and ice.
The real danger may come after the precipitation stops. As the storm tracks into the Southeast, a deep freeze will remain over the Southern Plains preventing snow and ice from melting, potentially hindering any power restoration efforts. Meteorologists warn that the frigid weather is likely to stick around through the rest of January and into early February, meaning the snow and ice that accumulates will take a long time to melt.
States including North Carolina and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources, urging Texans to prepare for ice, snow and freezing rain. If you're in the affected region, stock up on essentials now—this is the real deal.