Winter blast causes airport chaos, road mayhem and school closures
The major winter storm affecting a large swath of the country has created mayhem on roads in the Midwest with dangerous snow and ice, and power outages.
Some parts of the Midwest have been buried in nearly 14 inches of snow. School has been canceled in districts from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. — which could see up to a foot of snow.
Yesterday, the last day of the extended holiday season, airports saw more than 6,000 flight delays and more than 1,500 cancellations, stranding passengers from coast to coast with St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, seeing between 60% to 90% of all flights canceled.
NBC’s Al Roker said the storm is heading to the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast today impacting people from Champaign, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky, all the way to the East Coast, including Philadelphia and Washington. He said more snow is on the way, with another 6 to 8 inches of snow in lower New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Maryland.
Winter storm won't stop Congress from certifying election results, House speaker says
The intense winter storm causing havoc for millions will not stop Congress from certifying the 2024 election results, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday.
"The Electoral Count Act requires this on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. So, whether we’re in a blizzard or not, we’re going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," he told Fox News in an interview.
Washington is set to be among the worst-hit areas, with as much as a foot of snow predicted to fall today, making travel conditions extremely hazardous.
Kansas City received 11 inches of snow, 4th highest single day snowfall on record
In a sign of just how powerful this storm is, the 11 inches of snow that fell on Kansas City International Airport yesterday was the fourth highest daily snowfall total since records began in 1888.
It's still some way behind the all-time record of 16.1 inches, set in 1912.
More than 250,000 without power across the Midwest and the East Coast
A quarter of a million energy customers were in the dark early this morning as severe weather hits a huge swath of the eastern United States.
There were 259,000 severed connections at 6 a.m., according to PowerOutage.com, including 81,000 in Kentucky and 61,000 in Indiana.
As the winter storm eases, many will still experience frigid temperatures
NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman has the latest forecast, predicting temperatures well below average for the week ahead.
More than 1,300 flights canceled across the U.S. today
Miserable conditions for travelers persist into this morning, with 1,309 flights canceled across the United States and another 482 delayed, according to data from FlightAware.
FlightAware's real-time "Misery Map" showed at 5.30 a.m. ET that the worst affected airport was Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with 72 flights canceled.
Risk of thunderstorms for the Southeast today
While the central Plains and the mid-Atlantic are blasted with ice and snow, the Southeast could see some strong to severe thunderstorms today, the National Weather Service warned.
There is a 1 in 5 risk of severe thunderstorms across the region through tomorrow morning, it said, bringing frequent lightning, severe wind gusts and isolated tornadoes.
Dire conditions expected for East Coast commuters this morning
As much as an inch of snow per hour is forecast to fall on Washington this morning, with travel conditions expected to deteriorate.
The National Weather Service office for Washington-Baltimore said that during the heaviest snow, between midnight and midmorning today, "even primary and treated roads will be impassible."
"It is highly recommended to postpone non-essential travel," the office said.
Almost 60 million impacted by snow and ice, with winter storms warnings from St. Louis to Washington
Some 57 million people are under winter weather alerts and advisories this morning as a significant winter storm makes its way east.
The storm will move off the mid-Atlantic later today, but until then people in affected areas can expect "a tough morning commute and a tough evening commute," NBC meteorologist Michelle Grossman said on "Early TODAY" this morning.