Deadly winter storm leaves hundreds of thousands without power as heavy snow treks east
A wide-reaching winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow and closed major highways in parts of the Midwest as it continued its eastward trek on Monday. In parts of the Great Plains, snow totals exceeded anything seen in decades.
The storm is producing wintry precipitation across a distance of about 1,000 miles – from central Missouri to Delaware – creating hazardous conditions for millions of people as many locations experience their biggest snowstorm in years. More than 12 inches fell in Kansas; Missouri was experiencing blizzard conditions; and in the Mid-Atlantic, roads were slick and dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power from Missouri to Virginia – with more heavy impacts still expected in the storm’s path.
Early Monday, the worst of the storm was reaching the Mid-Atlantic, with heavy snow in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Up to a foot of total snow is possible in what could become the biggest snowstorm since at least January 2022, if not January 2019.
The winter storm led to at least three fatalities as it swept from the Midwest toward the East. In Wichita, an SUV flipped over and rolled multiple times Sunday, ejecting and killing its two occupants. In Jackson County, Missouri, on Sunday, a dump truck slid and killed a 61-year-old pedestrian.
More than 300,000 customers were without power Monday in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia – with nearly 90,000 outages in Virginia alone, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
A number of communities in the Midwest rivaled or set records for their greatest single-day snow totals. In Chapman, Kansas, just northeast of the state’s center, 18 inches was recorded on Sunday. That’s the greatest single-day total on record, with data dating back to 1904. At Kansas City International Airport, the 11 inches that came down Sunday was the fourth-greatest single-day total. The airport was just 0.8 inches away from coming in second place.
Snow totals across the Great Plains have been exceptional, in many cases exceeding anything that’s been seen in decades. Other snowfall totals included 16 inches in St. Joseph, Missouri; and 12.7 inches west of St. Louis, in the town of Weldon Springs; and 10 inches in Mackeysville, West Virginia.
In his 25 years in the role, Kansas state Trooper Ben Gardner said this storm was in the top five events he’s experienced.
Significant ice covered roadways Saturday, followed by heavy snowfall Sunday. The ice made it difficult for drivers to accelerate up highway ramps. First responders got stuck. Some equipment broke.
On Sunday night, mobile phone users received a statewide alert – a loud beep and notification that sounded like an Amber Alert, Gardner said – urging drivers to stay off the road unless it’s an emergency.
“What makes this special is it was an all-hands-on-deck, something we haven’t seen in two-day duration,” Gardner said.
On slick roads across the Midwest, including in Missouri, Illinois and Ohio, some cars and trucks were stuck or sliding off highways while others trudged through thoroughfares painted with snow and ice.
More than 1,800 flights tied to the United States have been canceled, with an additional 4,135 flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flights around the world.
The D.C.-area airports have been the hardest-hit in the nation so far, FlightAware data showed. Nearly two-thirds of the flights scheduled to depart Reagan National Airport have been canceled, while more than half that were supposed to land there were halted.
Conditions also upended travel plans for thousands of rail passengers, with no clear indication yet on when full service would be restored. Amtrak canceled service on more than 40 trains that move passengers along its busy Northeast Corridor route.
Service was canceled on all or portions of more than a dozen of the rail service’s high-speed Acela routes, which carry passengers between D.C. and Boston, while service on more than two dozen Northeast Regional trains also was disrupted.
By noon Monday, the passenger rail service had canceled service on two Northeast Regional trains – Train 86 between Richmond and D.C., and Train 84 between Norfolk and Washington, but it was not clear whether additional cancellations would be announced.
Service was also canceled on several trains operating between St. Louis and Chicago; St. Louis and Kansas City; and Kansas City and Chicago.
Amtrak officials said affected passengers would typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times on another day. Officials said Amtrak would waive additional charges for customers seeking to change their reservations during this period.