A massive winter storm has disrupted swaths of the U.S., dropping snow, freezing roads and causing thousands of flight cancellations and power outages.
More than 200 million people were in the path of a storm that has strained the nation’s power grid and travel infrastructure. The storm already has been blamed for roughly 10,000 flight cancellations, affecting airports from Dallas to Boston, and has left over 700,000 power customers in the dark, mainly in the South.
A person pushed a bicycle during a winter storm in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The storm began to lash the central and southern parts of the country with snow on Saturday and the Northeast on Sunday. Meteorologists said to expect heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain. Some regions, including parts of the Northeast, could expect around two feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service. Multiple areas declared states of emergency ahead of the storm.
Forecasters said the storm would stretch 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine. “It’s rare to have that wide of an expanse,” said David Hamrick, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
The snowfall was set to end later on Sunday, but frigid temperatures should keep things icy for the rest of the week, Hamrick said. Forecasters said the cold could be life-threatening and warned people to avoid traveling.
