The First Significant Winter Storm of the Year: Predictions for Mid-South Snowfall, Severe Storms, and Icing

The first weekend of 2025 will have the coldest air of the season, according to the National Weather Service. The first significant winter storm of the year will affect over 60 million people starting Saturday afternoon and continuing into Monday.

“The snow will significantly reduce visibilities, and snowfall amounts will surpass 15 inches (the heaviest in a decade), which will make travel extremely hazardous, with impassable roads,” the NWS says. “Additionally, a band of 8-14 inches of snow is expected to extend from northeast Missouri through the Central Appalachians, with a few inches of sleet likely in southern Illinois and Indiana.”

Travel delays are likely as the storm is forecast to reach the mid-Atlantic by Sunday night. Severe thunderstorms are expected in areas with warmer temperatures. The storm could also impact Texas and Mississippi, which are still recovering from last month’s deadly storms.

In several states, emergencies and warnings have been declared. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore issued a “state of preparedness” on Saturday.

All Virginians, visitors, and travelers are urged to stay alert and prepare for any potential impacts from the weather forecast.

The NWS Weather Prediction Center said that the most extreme conditions will likely be in places running along the Interstate 70 Corridor, which passes through St. Louis and Indianapolis.

There is significant icing potential this weekend in the mid-South. Icing is when rain freezes on contact with the ground. It can also affect cars and car windows — essentially any surface outside.

A thin layer of ice can cause dangerous road conditions for vehicles and pedestrians. Power can be lost if there are thick layers of ice. Last year, a January ice storm left thousands without power, and first responders struggled to get to those who needed help.

A quarter to half inch of freezing rain is expected to fall over the states of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri on Sunday.

FEMA warnings on the possible dangers of snow and ice in the state of Kansas during the Superhigh Energy Hurricane Irregular

Across Kansas there have been “at least 212 calls of service where troopers were responding somewhere to help someone” between 6:00 a.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday morning, according to Trooper Ben Gardner, public information officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, who goes by Trooper Ben. There has also been “at least one fatality crash” the Kansas Highway Patrol has responded to, Ben tells NPR.

He says that the KDOT is trying to clear the roads andsalt them as the storm moves through the state.

The officials warn that those who are in the path of the storm to take precautions. The Administrator of FEMA said on Friday that if your area is experiencing heavy snow or ice, you should stay off the roads.

” Once it arrives, it’s best to just sit in your home, be safe, and watch the local weather and news, and know when it’s best to get out of your house and go somewhere else,” he says. It’s not the right time to travel. It’s time to stay home.”