A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the middle section of the United States as airlines canceled hundreds of flights, governors urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses.
The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow on Wednesday morning. The heaviest snow is expected in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois, while significant ice accumulation is expected in an area from Louisville, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee.
As the Weather Channel noted, Texas is paying particular attention to this year's winter weather after a powerful icy storm last year caused unprecedented power outages in that state and more than 240 deaths were considered related to the powerful winter weather there in early 2021. According to CNN, ice is expected to accumulate across the South in places like Texas, and a hard freeze could linger across multiple states into the weekend.
Portions of interstate 70 in Missouri had to be closed and more than 4,000 flights were reported canceled at one point this week.
The Denver metro area saw 8 to 12 inches by Wednesday afternoon and one part of Illinois saw more than 14 inches of snow, CNN reported.