Winter storms bring heavy snow, extreme cold, and travel warnings across the U.S.

 Around 32 million people were under winter weather alerts overnight, with the heaviest snow expected to impact northern Kentucky and West Virginia.

Feb. 11, 2025, 6:14 PM GMT+6

A series of powerful storms is bringing heavy snow, freezing rain, and temperatures 25 to 35 degrees below normal to large parts of the continental United States, proving that winter is far from over.

Around 32 million people were under winter weather alerts overnight, with significant snow expected to impact northern Kentucky, West Virginia, the Washington D.C. area, Maryland, parts of the Ohio Valley, and the mid-Atlantic. A winter storm set to arrive on Tuesday is forecast to drop between 4 to 8 inches of snow, with rates of 1 inch per hour, particularly affecting northeast Kentucky, Virginia, and the Interstate 95 corridor, which could make Tuesday evening's commute hazardous.

Some areas in Kansas could see up to 10 inches of snow, with heavier amounts along and north of I-70. Meanwhile, the same storm will bring heavy rain to the South and Southeast, raising the potential for localized flooding. Additionally, freezing rain could accumulate up to half an inch of ice in the Appalachians from northern North Carolina into Virginia, creating dangerous travel conditions and power outage risks.

An Arctic cold front will send temperatures plummeting 25 to 35 degrees below average from the northern Rockies to the upper Great Lakes and the central Plains. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold weather warning, with wind chills in North Dakota possibly reaching minus 55°F, creating life-threatening conditions.

This second storm will also bring additional snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes, along with more rain and ice to the mid-Atlantic. As the system continues, heavy rain and thunderstorms will affect the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast through Thursday.

A third storm is expected to hit the Northeast this weekend, spanning from the Midwest to the East Coast.

In Utah, avalanche warnings have been issued, with four fatalities so far this year. Drew Hardesty from the Utah Avalanche Center shared that a skier triggered a 200-foot-wide avalanche on Mount Superior on Monday, though no injuries were reported. He cautioned that it’s been an unusually dangerous year, with an unstable snowpack since Thanksgiving.

The West Coast isn't escaping the cold either, as a storm system is set to arrive in California by late Wednesday, bringing rain and snow to higher elevations. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is scheduled to hold a news conference at 9 a.m. PT Tuesday to address the impending storm.