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Winter storm warnings as snow, freezing rain sweep across the US

Schools closed and thousands of flights cancelled as a major winter storm hits the central US.

John Tapko clears snow at his house
John Tapko clears snow at his house in Overland Park, Kansas. [Charlie Riedel/AP Photo]
Published On 3 Feb 2022

A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the central US as airlines cancelled thousands of flights, officials urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses.

The blast of frigid weather, which arrived Tuesday night and continued Wednesday, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. On Wednesday morning, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow.

By midday on Wednesday, some places had already reported snowfalls exceeding or nearing 30cm (11.8 inches), including the central Illinois town of Lewistown with 36.6cm (14.4 inches) and the northeastern Missouri city of Hannibal with 29.2cm (11.5 inches).

Areas south of the heavy snow were expected to see freezing rain, with the heaviest ice predicted along the lower Ohio Valley area from Louisville, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee.

The disruptive storm moved across the central US on Groundhog Day, the same day famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. The storm came on the heels of a nor’easter last weekend that brought blizzard conditions to many parts of the East Coast.

The storm’s path extended as far south as Texas, nearly a year after a catastrophic freeze buckled the state’s power grid in one of the worst blackouts in US history. The forecast did not call for the same prolonged and frigid temperatures as the February 2021 storm, and the National Weather Service said the system would, generally, not be as bad this time for Texas.

Airlines cancelled nearly 8,000 flights in the US scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, the flight-tracking service FlightAware.com showed. Nearly 700 flights were cancelled on Thursday alone at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and more than 300 were cancelled at nearby Dallas Love Field.

A cyclist navigates a snow-covered street
A cyclist navigates a snow-covered street in Chicago, Illinois. [Scott Olson/ Getty Images via AFP]
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A resident shovels a parking space
The blast of frigid weather, which arrived Tuesday night and continued Wednesday, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings. [Scott Olson/ Getty Images via AFP]
A Denver Fire Department truck heads to an emergency call along South Washington Street as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West
A Denver Fire Department truck heads to an emergency call along South Washington Street in Denver. The major winter storm forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and schools to close campuses with officials urging residents to stay off roads. [David Zalubowski/AP Photo]
A woman pulls a child on a sled across the intersection of Bayaud Avenue and South Washington Street as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West
A woman pulls a child on a sled across the intersection of Bayaud Avenue and South Washington Street in Denver. [David Zalubowski/AP Photo]
With winter weather coming, an adult helps school children cross the street in Dallas
An adult helps school children cross the street in Dallas. North Texas school districts called off classes for the next two days in anticipation of winter weather. [LM Otero/AP Photo]
A sign tells that the school has been canceled due to impending winter weather in Dallas
A sign displays that school has been cancelled due to impending winter weather in Dallas. [LM Otero/AP Photo]
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A sign advises patrons of COVID-19 restriction while long icicles grow from an awning outside a restaurant as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West Wednesday Feb. 2, 2022, in Denver.
Long icicles hang from an awning outside a restaurant as a winter storm sweeps over Denver. [David Zalubowski/AP Photo]