Major Winter Storm, Blizzard Conditions to Hit at Least a Dozen States, Forecasters Warn

A county truck with a snowplow drives down a road in Shawnee, Kan., on Jan. 5, 2025. Chase Castor/Getty Images

A blast of snow, ice, wind, and plummeting temperatures produced dangerous travel scenarios in areas across the central United States on Jan. 5 because of a heavy winter storm that is slated to move east to the Mid-Atlantic states, as multiple governors declared states of emergency.

Snowfall and ice blanketed major roadways in parts of Kansas and Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help any stuck motorists. At least 8 inches of snow were expected, particularly north of Interstate 70, while the National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm warnings and advisories from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey into Jan. 6.

“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service stated early on Jan. 5.

The agency further warned there would be heavy snow from the central Plains states to the Mid-Atlantic until the evening of Jan. 6. In the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, damaging freezing rain and ice will accumulate 0.25 to 0.5 inches on Jan. 5.

In all, the weather system will lead to “severe travel delays” and will “reach the Mid-Atlantic region by Sunday evening and continue to impact the area through Monday,” according to the NWS.

In parts of Kansas and Missouri, blizzard conditions due to heavy snow and winds exceeding 40 miles per hour will occur, the agency warned. Some places will get as many as 15 inches by the time the storm is finished, it stated.

At the same time, a band of heavy snowfall that will drop 8 to 14 inches will “extend from northeast Missouri through the Central Appalachians, with a few inches of sleet likely in southern Illinois and Indiana,” according to the weather service.

A map produced by the NWS shows that more than a dozen states, from the central part of the United States to the East Coast, were under winter weather-related advisories, including blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings, and winter storm watches.

About 63 million people in the United States were under some kind of winter weather advisory, watch, or warning on Jan. 5, according to Bob Oravec with the NWS.

According to this map from the National Weather Serivce issued on Jan. 5, 2025, winter storm warnings, in light purple, and blizarrd warnings, in red, were issued for states stretching from the central part of the United States to the Mid-Atlantic. NWS

In Indiana, snow fully covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69, and U.S. Route 41. Indiana State Police pleaded with motorists to stay off the roads as plows worked to keep up with the pace of the precipitation.

Part of I-70 was closed in central Kansas by the afternoon of Jan. 4. Roughly 10 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Kansas with totals of snow and sleet for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri predicted to be as high as 14 inches.

Before the storm hit, governors in several states including Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, and Missouri declared states of emergency, while the governor of Maryland declared a state of preparedness.

“This winter storm will likely cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions on our roads and could cause significant power outages—just 24 hours before it gets dangerously cold,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a statement, also said she declared a state of emergency over the weather as “adverse circumstances could be brought to bear upon citizens and properties throughout the state as a result of such weather.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a similar emergency declaration because of the storm, according to his office.

“I am declaring a state of emergency for the incoming winter storm currently forecasted to impact Virginia starting Sunday, and I’m encouraging all Virginians, visitors, and travelers to stay alert, monitor the weather forecast, and prepare now for any potential impacts,” the governor said.

He also warned that travelers should pay special attention to the weather system.

“If you find yourself needing to be on the roadways, please heed any warnings and make sure you are keeping yourselves and others safe,” he wrote. “Our pre-treating preparations are underway and substantial state and local resources will continue to actively monitor the forecast and respond through the weekend.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.