Snow and ice covered major roads throughout most of Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state National Guard was mobilized to help stranded motorists.
At least 8 inches of snow was expected, especially north of Interstate 70, as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought gusty winds going up to 72 kilometers per hour. The warning extended to New Jersey, lasting Monday through early Tuesday.
“For locations in this region receiving the highest snow totals, this could be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said early Sunday.
About 63 million people in the United States were under some form of weather warning Sunday, according to Bob Oravec of the National Weather Service.
The polar vortex of ultracold air generally orbits the North Pole. People in the United States, Europe, and Asia may experience its intense cold as it escapes and spreads south.
Studies show that the rapid warming of the Arctic is partly responsible for the increasing frequency with which the vortex expands.
Snow and ice forecast, tornadoes too
In Indiana, snow completely covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to ask motorists not to use these roads as snow plows struggled to keep pace with the precipitation.
“It was snowing so hard that the snowplows came by and, within half an hour, the roads were completely covered again,” testified Sergeant Todd Ringle.
A section of I-70 was closed in central Kansas Saturday afternoon. About 10 inches of snow fell in parts of the state, with snow and sleet totals forecast to exceed 14 inches in parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.
In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 19 cm of snow on Sunday, a new record for the date that broke the previous record of 7 cm set in 1910. Lexington, Kentucky, also set a snowfall record, with 12 cm.
Parts of upstate New York recorded a foot or more of snow, due to a lake effect phenomenon that is expected to last through late Sunday afternoon.
The storm is expected to move through the Ohio Valley and reach the mid-Atlantic states later Sunday and Monday, with frost expected as far away as Florida.
Destructive winds felled trees across the Southern states. The weather service issued tornado warnings Sunday in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Car accidents increase as storm hits
The weather service warned that road travel could be “very difficult, if not impossible.” Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported Sunday in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was struck on I-65. At least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, that state’s highway patrol said.
Highways in northeast Kansas have been closed due to conditions deemed impassable, the state Department of Transportation warns. The closures included about 355 miles of the state’s main artery, I-70, from the Missouri border to central Kansas.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, noted that state buildings would be closed Monday.
“We see way too many accidents out there for people who don’t need to be on the roads, so I want to ask: stay indoors. Stay safe with your family.”
Virginia State Police reported at least 135 accidents as the storm entered the state on Sunday. A handful of injuries were reported, but no deaths.
Air and rail travel has also been disrupted
The storms also wreaked havoc on the country’s railways, leading to numerous cancellations. More than 20 cancellations were planned for Sunday, 40 for Monday and at least two for Tuesday.
“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it is counterintuitive to try to offer a full range of services when people are being asked to stay home,” said Marc Magliari, a spokesperson for Amtrak.
The Midwest has been particularly hard hit. A train between Chicago and New York and several other regional routes between Chicago and St. Louis were among those canceled Sunday.
Nearly 200 flights to and from St. Louis Lambert International Airport have been canceled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.
Temperatures drop, but no records are broken
Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience bitter cold and strong winds, forecasters say. Temperatures could be 7 to 14 degrees Celsius below normal.
Northeastern states are more likely to experience several cold days after a mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A draft of cool air from Canada is expected to bring a cold but dry week, he said.
The cold air is likely to spread across the eastern half of the country as far as Georgia, Palmer said, with parts of the East Coast also expected to experience freezing temperatures.
The wind could also pick up during the week, making conditions worse for people exposed to the elements for long periods, Mr Palmer warned.
