Millions face snow and ice as major winter storm crosses U.S.: NPR

Millions of people in the United States are facing weather warnings and watching a major winter storm move from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, where parts of the Washington, D.C., area could receive up to a foot of snow until Tuesday morning.

Heavy snowfall and wind gusts over 40 miles per hour will bring blizzard conditions to parts of Missouri and Kansas, according to the National Weather Service.

“Snow will significantly reduce visibility and snowfall will exceed 15 inches (the heaviest in a decade), making travel extremely dangerous, with roads impassable,” the NWS says. “Additionally, a band of 8 to 14 inches of snow is expected to extend from northeast Missouri across the central Appalachians, with a few inches of sleet likely in southern Illinois and Indiana.”

The storm will also bring a quarter to a half-inch of freezing rain to states in the central Mississippi region and Ohio Valley, such as Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, starting Sunday.

Through Monday, there will also be “significant freezing rain” in central Kansas and parts of the central Appalachians, leading to “hazardous travel conditions, widespread tree damage and prolonged power outages », Indicates the NWS.

Snow, moderate to heavy at times, will move Monday from southern Illinois to the Mid-Atlantic region where areas surrounding Washington, D.C. and Baltimore could receive up to 12 inches of snow and “ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch”. according to the NWS.

Prepare yourself and stay home

More than 29,000 people were without power in Missouri as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

Emergencies and warnings have been declared in several states, including Virginia and Kentucky. Maryland Governor Wes Moore issued a “state of preparedness” on Saturday.

The storm also disrupts travel and leads to impassable roads and car accidents due to deteriorating conditions.

Across Kansas, there were “at least 212 calls for service where troopers were responding somewhere to help someone” between 6 a.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday morning, according to Trooper Ben Gardner, public information officer public service of the Kansas Highway Patrol, which passes by. Private Ben. There was also “at least one fatal crash” that the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to, Ben told NPR.

“KDOT is trying to clear the roads, salt them and clean them, and we will continue to do that as the storm moves through our state,” he said.

Authorities are warning those affected by the storm in the coming days to take precautions. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told those facing winter storms Friday to “listen to your local authorities and stay off the roads if you experience severe snowfall or ice in your area.

Ben also says to make a plan before the storm arrives and stay home if possible. But if you decide to hit the road, make sure your car is prepared with enough fuel, your phone is charged, and you have non-perishable food items on hand if you get stuck on the road. Also make sure your car’s tailpipe remains free of snow buildup to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Once you arrive, it’s best to sit at home, stay safe, watch the weather and local news, and know when it’s best to get out of your house and make those trips again,” he says . . “Because now is not the time to travel. Now is the time to stay home.”