Summary

  • More than 200 million Americans are bracing for a potentially catastrophic winter storm, with heavy snow and freezing rain forecast

  • The National Weather Service (NWS) warns of sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, which "pose a life-threatening risk of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin"

  • Ten thousand flights have been cancelled across the country and more than 84,000 power outages are reported

  • In the northeast, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see heavy snowfall and travel disruption with as much as 12in (30cm) along the I-95 highway connecting those cities

  • New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warns residents to stay indoors as "whiteout or near blizzard conditions" are expected

Multi-hazardous winter storm hits US

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily McGarvey

  1. Thick snow reaches Arkansas, as US begins to feel impact of winter storm

    Thick snow has hit Arkansas as more than 200 million people across the US begin to feel the impact of a widespread winter storm.

    At least 18 states have issued a state of emergency, and nine states have activated their National Guards, according to our US partner CBS News.

    "A significant, long-duration winter storm will bring widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to New England through Monday," the National Weather Service says.

    Widespread travel disruptions, prolonged power outages, and vast tree damage is likely, the NWS says in its latest forecast.

    Frigid temperatures, gusty winds, and "dangerous wind chills" are also expected, according to the weather service.

    We're pausing our coverage now but our online story has more details on the storm.

    A man's car is stuck in the snow in ArkansasGetty Images

    A man's car is stuck in the snow in Arkansas

    Two workers holding shovels work next to an ambulance on a snowy streetGetty Images

    Workers prepare to winch an ambulance stuck in the snow in Arkansas

    Two diggers move snow from outside the Arkansas State Capitol buildingGetty Images

    Workers move snow at the Arkansas State Capitol

  2. US weather service warns of 'life-threatening cold air'

    Sarah Keith-Lucas
    Weather presenter

    A weather map showing hazardous cold, snow risk and ice risk across Winnipeg. Dallas, Chicago and New York

    The bitter temperatures will be a significant feature of the storm with the US National Weather Service warning that "life-threatening cold air" will slowly track from the High Plains and Rockies in an eastward direction bringing snow and ice to around 200 million people across 30 states.

    Further north in central southern Canada daytime highs will be around -25C in Winnipeg.

    But you have to take into account wind chill, and the Canadian weather service has warnings of wind chill temperatures of -45C in some areas. The US weather service also has that risk for the northern Plains.

    In central US locations like St Louis in Missouri daytime temperatures will drop to -10C, and only 5C in Houston, Texas, which is well below the seasonal average.

  3. Watch: Snow ploughs battle blizzards in Oklahoma

    Winter snow has made its way into Oklahoma this morning, as a major storm hits the majority of the United States over the weekend.

    Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa County is covered in a blanket of snow, and snow ploughs are working to clear the roads in the city of Sand Springs.

  4. More than 10,000 flights cancelled across the US

    More than 10,000 US flights have been cancelled over the weekend as the winer storm begins to grip America.

    More than 3,500 flights have been cancelled today, according to flight tracker FlightAware, and more than 6,500 flights scheduled for Sunday are also cancelled.

    In Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled while more than 400 flights have been cancelled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.

    Some carriers like Delta Airlines and American Airlines are offering passengers the option to change their flights, in some cases without incurring extra fees, due to concerns about cancellations.

  5. New York City mayor warns of 'near blizzard conditions'

    Mamdani speaking at press conferenceANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

    New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani tells residents to expect "whiteout or near blizzard conditions", with intense cold, a prolonged period of frigid temperatures and "at least eight or nine inches of snow and likely more".

    "Frankly, it will be colder than any sustained period that New York has experienced in about eight years," says Mamdani.

    Parks have been presalted, major roadways and highways have been brined, and the city continues to be under "code blue" to protect the homeless from freezing conditions, he adds.

    Hundreds of snow plough vehicles and salt spreaders are ready to be deployed, and he warns those living in the city to stay indoors.

  6. More than 84,000 customers in US without power

    A person holding an umbrella and child with a sledge play in a snow covered street in Little Rock, ArkansasGetty Images

    A parent and child play in the snow in Little Rock, Arkansas

    More than 84,000 customers are without power across the US as the storm hits.

    According to tracking website PowerOutage.com, more than 43,000 customers are without power in Texas, while over 6,000 are affected in Louisiana.

    More than 5,000 customers are affected in Arkansas and around 4,000 in California are also without power.

    It's not entirely clear whether the storm is the cause of all the power cuts, but officials and forecasters have been warning about the storm's threat to the power network.

  7. How much snow is expected?

    Officials display snow and ice removal equipment at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the Atlanta area prepares for the effects of a predicted large winter storm in AtlantaEPA

    Heavy snow is forecast across the Southern Rockies and Plains, stretching into the Mid-Atlantic and reaching the Northeast. Some areas could see more than 1ft (30cm) of snow.

    Parts of northeast New Jersey and southeast New York, including New York City, could get between 10 and 14in of snow from early Sunday through to Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Wind chills as low as -23C (-10F) are expected in the same region from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon.

    Most of southern New England, including Boston, can expect 12 to 17in of snow and wind gusts up to 30mph from Sunday into Monday. Wind chill temperatures there could drop to -26C from Friday into Saturday.

    Low temperature records are likely to be broken, with the coldest wind chills possibly falling below -46C across the Northern Plains.

    A much wider area of the south-eastern US is also expected to see freezing temperatures.

  8. US brace for 'extremely dangerous' winter storm

    More than 200 million Americans are facing a brutal winter storm this weekend, with heavy snow, freezing rain and below-zero temperatures set to hit a large part of the East Coast and Midwest.

    The National Weather Service says the storm will bring "extremely dangerous" conditions, with at least 16 states under a state of emergency since it began on Friday.

    Memphis, Nashville, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York are among the cities expected to be blanketed with snow.

    Regions that could see more than a foot of snow stretch from Colorado to West Virginia, New York City and up to Boston, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

    The NWS also says travel disruption, prolonged power cuts and widespread tree damage are likely.

    We're tracking the storm and will bring you the latest updates. Stay with us.