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US braces for 'extremely dangerous' winter storm

January 24, 2026

A massive winter storm is poised to impact over 200 million Americans beginning Friday, bringing dangerous conditions including heavy snowfall, freezing rain, and life-threatening wind chills across much of the nation. The Arctic blast will move eastward from the High Plains and Rockies through major metropolitan areas, with some regions expecting over a foot of snow and wind chills potentially dropping below -50°F in the Northern Plains. Sixteen states have declared emergencies, with governors mobilizing National Guard troops and emergency resources including thousands of snow plows and salt supplies.

Who is affected

  • More than 200 million Americans across 16 states
  • Residents of major cities including Memphis, Nashville, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston
  • Airline passengers (over 8,000 flight cancellations for Saturday and Sunday)
  • Motorists traveling across affected regions
  • Canadians in eastern and Atlantic regions
  • Residents of Colorado, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, New England, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina

What action is being taken

  • National Guard troops are mobilizing response efforts in multiple states
  • New York has deployed over 1,600 snow plows and 114,000 tonnes of salt
  • New York City is deploying thousands of sanitation workers, 700 salt spreaders, and 2,200 snow plows
  • Airlines are offering passengers flight change options
  • Subways and buses in New York City continue operating
  • Emergency officials across 16 states are responding under declared states of emergency

Why it matters

  • This storm presents life-threatening conditions with risks of hypothermia and frostbite to anyone with exposed skin due to extreme sub-zero temperatures and dangerous wind chills. The widespread geographic impact affecting over 200 million people, combined with predicted travel disruptions and the potential for breaking numerous low temperature records, makes this an unusually severe weather event. The situation is particularly significant given memories of Texas's 2021 grid failure that caused hundreds of deaths, though officials now report better preparedness for infrastructure resilience.

What's next

  • The storm will continue moving slowly eastward through the weekend
  • A strong arctic air mass from Canada will keep temperatures frigid in the eastern US into next week
  • Snowfall is expected in eastern and Atlantic Canada on Monday

Read full article from source: BBC