A major winter storm is moving across several states from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more, with officials warning those in its path to stay off the roads. Forecasters predict up to a foot of snow in some areas.
Since Saturday, there have been hundreds of calls for help on highways and thousands of stranded cars from Kansas to Virginia, including a car pileup in Illinois.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, at least three people died in car accidents in Kansas over the weekend, despite blizzard warnings being issued throughout the state.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that at least one person has died and more than 30 have been injured in Missouri.
“Snow is still making its way out of the state, but don’t expect conditions to improve quickly – if you saw snow and ice fall yesterday, continue to AVOID TRAVELING today,” the Missouri Department of Transportation stated on social media on Monday. “Our crews are still hard at work, but cleanup will take awhile in these conditions.”
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, also advised people facing winter storms to “listen to your local officials & stay off the roads if you are experiencing heavy snow or ice in your area.”
Winter storm warning in effect
Closures and states of emergency have been declared across the Central Plains, Midwest, and East Coast of the United States as a snowstorm moves through.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for parts of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
Up to 12 inches of snow are expected to fall from Ohio to Washington, D.C. by Monday night. Poweroutage.us reported that more than 300,000 customers in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri were without power as of noon ET Monday.
The governors of several states affected by the snowstorm, including Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky, declared states of emergency early last week and continued through the weekend.
Several county school systems across the affected states, as well as cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Louisville, will be closed on Monday.
Much of D.C. closed, electoral vote certification to proceed
The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., will be closed on Monday. Non-emergency federal employees in Washington, D.C. will work remotely on Monday due to office closures.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith says the city has been preparing for the storm ahead of a number of high-security events, including Congress’ certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s electoral victory on Monday and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
“We’ve been watching the news, and the polar vortex has been moving in this direction. “So we’ve been planning accordingly,” Smith says.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the snow will not cause a delay in the certification of electoral votes.
“The Electoral Count Act requires this on January 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 gets done,” Johnson told Fox News, adding that he hopes for full attendance.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has also stated that city resources will be used to assist members of Congress in clearing snow prior to election certification.
Travel disruptions grow
The winter storms are also affecting air travel in the United States. As of noon ET Monday, more than 3,500 flights entering or leaving the United States were experiencing delays, according to flight tracking platform FlightAware. Over 2,000 additional flights were canceled.
Snow will also cause delays at major airports such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, according to the FAA.
More than 50 Amtrak trains from the Midwest to the Northeast were also canceled on Monday. Two trains traveling from Virginia to Washington, D.C. have already been canceled for Tuesday.
