Governors Declare State of Emergency Over New Winter Storm

A man walks on a snow covered overpass in Plano, Texas, on Jan. 9, 2025. LM Otero/AP Photo

Governors in at least four states have declared a state of emergency due to a new winter storm.

The governors of Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina have declared a state of emergency over the storm, which, according to the National Weather Center, is also set to impact some 18 other states.

The storm has already dumped up to seven inches of snow and left ice in states such as Texas and Oklahoma and follows a different storm that just dropped inches of snow in states such as Maryland.

The new storm “will likely bring significant impacts from snow, sleet, and freezing rain in different parts of the state,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement. “North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast, make sure they are prepared with what they need at home before Friday afternoon, and stay home if possible as ice on the roadways will likely create dangerous driving conditions.”

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an order providing $150,000 to assist in emergency response to the storm effects and directed the Arkansas National Guard to help move vehicles off the roads and home safely.

The storm was expected to bring heavy mixed precipitation, including up to six inches of snow, in central and northern Arkansas, according to the National Weather Center.

The storm was also expected to dump snow in Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia, and additional snow in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to forecasts and warnings from the center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Weather experts recommended staying home and, if driving, to exercise caution.

“I have not seen any accidents, but I have seen a couple of people get stuck out on the road and sliding around,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer loaded with paint, auto parts, and other supplies through slick, slushy roads in central Oklahoma on Thursday. “People do not need to be driving.”

School was canceled across many of the states facing winter weather, including Arkansas and Texas.

Public school systems across metro Atlanta and north Georgia called off in-person classes for Friday, with more than 1 million students getting a snow day or being told to stay at home to learn online.

In Tennessee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the largest district in the state with more than 100,000 students, closed all schools on Friday. With Memphis forecast to receive up to eight inches of snow, officials said two warming centers are open 24 hours to provide shelter for people who need to escape the cold.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.