A powerful winter storm swept across vast portions of the United States on Sunday, unleashing widespread disruption as emergency crews were deployed to deal with power outages, dangerous road conditions, and severe travel interruptions. Forecasters warned that the impacts would persist for several days, with prolonged cold temperatures expected to significantly slow repair work even as authorities raced to reopen highways and restore airport operations.
Air travel bore the brunt of the storm’s impact, with cancellations mounting rapidly across the country. According to FlightAware, more than 14,800 flights scheduled for Saturday and Sunday were cancelled nationwide. Aviation data firm Cirium said that Sunday’s cancellations were already on pace to become the highest number recorded in a single day since the Covid-19 pandemic, underscoring the scale of the disruption.
Major airlines were forced to ground a significant portion of their operations as conditions worsened. Roughly 43 percent of American Airlines flights were cancelled, while Delta Air Lines grounded about 35 percent of its scheduled services, according to reports cited by CNN. Airlines struggled to reposition aircraft and crews amid freezing rain, snow, and ice blanketing runways and taxiways.
Some airports were forced to shut down entirely. At Will Rogers International Airport, all operations were suspended on Saturday, with every Sunday morning departure also cancelled as officials worked toward a limited restart later in the day, the Associated Press reported. Authorities said safety concerns left them with little choice but to halt traffic until conditions improved.
Disruptions were particularly severe at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country. More than 700 departing flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, with a similar number of incoming flights also scrapped. Significant delays and cancellations were likewise reported at airports serving Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, creating ripple effects throughout the national air network.
The sprawling storm system stretched from the southern Rocky Mountains all the way to New England, placing nearly 180 million people under threat, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snowfall, sleet, and freezing rain covered large areas of the country, with meteorologists cautioning that cleanup and recovery would take time due to persistent cold conditions.
Allison Santorelli of the National Weather Service told the Associated Press that the snow and ice would melt very slowly and were unlikely to disappear anytime soon. She warned that the lingering cold would significantly hinder recovery efforts, adding that a sustained period of bitter temperatures lay ahead for many affected regions.
In response to the growing crisis, Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday. These included Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia, with additional declarations expected. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said federal agencies were coordinating closely with state and local authorities and urged residents to remain cautious, safe, and warm.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Federal Emergency Management Agency had already pre-positioned emergency supplies, personnel, and search-and-rescue teams across multiple states as the storm intensified, allowing for quicker response once conditions permitted.
Meanwhile, power outages escalated rapidly as freezing rain coated trees and power lines with thick layers of ice. Data from poweroutage.us showed that by Saturday evening, around 140,000 customers were without electricity along the storm’s path, including more than 58,000 in Louisiana and approximately 50,000 in Texas.
In Shelby County, near the Louisiana border, ice-laden pine branches snapped under the weight, pulling down power lines and cutting electricity to nearly one-third of the county’s roughly 16,000 customers. Utility crews faced dangerous conditions as they attempted to assess damage and begin repairs.
Forecasters cautioned that the destruction in regions hardest hit by ice could rival the impact typically associated with hurricanes. While southern states began work to restore downed power lines, eastern states issued urgent advisories urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay off roads until conditions improved.
In New Jersey, Governor Mikie Sherrill announced restrictions on commercial vehicle traffic and imposed a reduced speed limit of 35 miles per hour on major highways. She warned that the state was facing a storm unlike anything seen in years and described the weekend as one best spent indoors.
Officials in Georgia warned residents to brace for what could become the state’s most severe ice storm in more than a decade. People in northern Georgia were advised to clear roads before nightfall on Saturday and prepare to shelter in place for at least 48 hours.
Senior state meteorologist Will Lanxton emphasised that ice presents far greater dangers than snow, noting that vehicles cannot safely travel on it and that it is far more likely to topple trees and power lines. The Georgia Department of Transportation began treating highways with brine shortly after midnight, deploying about 1,800 workers on extended 12-hour shifts, according to Commissioner Russell McMurry.
Governor Brian Kemp, who had earlier placed 500 National Guard members on standby, announced that 120 troops were being deployed to northeast Georgia to strengthen emergency response efforts in the areas hardest hit by the storm.
