A powerful winter storm is threatening half of the United States, with snow, sleet and freezing temperatures forecast across the south, midwest and east coast over the weekend. By Friday, 16 states and Washington DC had declared emergencies, with areas unaccustomed to prolonged Arctic conditions bracing for power failures and supply shortages.
The huge weather system, expected to affect at least 230 million people, has been forming over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains before surging across southern and midwestern states from Friday, moving up the east coast on Saturday and reaching Maine by Sunday. Emergency declarations have been issued in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky, as well as the US capital.
President Donald Trump used the occasion to question climate science on social media, asking what had happened to global warming. However, experts note that the climate crisis is causing greater instability in weather systems, disrupting the polar vortex and bringing more extremes as global temperatures rise. The American Red Cross said winters are getting warmer and shorter overall, but a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, making heavy snowfall more likely.
Residents in several states have been rushing to stock up on bottled water, generators, food, toilet paper and blankets, with local media posting images of empty shelves. Meteorologists have warned of significant freezing rain, which could coat roads in ice, bring down power lines and hamper clearance efforts. Authorities in southern areas are advising residents to prepare for prolonged electricity outages, with temperatures expected to fall well below freezing across more than 100 million people until at least next Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has forecast snowfall totals exceeding 12 inches across the Ohio valley, mid-Atlantic and north-east. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has reportedly halted the dismissal of staff whose contracts were due to expire, with the agency saying it had activated its National Response Coordination Center for the storm. Fema criticised media reports as a mischaracterisation, urging attention on how Americans can stay safe.
