A devastating winter storm has been sweeping across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic with heavy snow, icy conditions, and hazardous travel across 1,500 miles from Kansas to New York. The storm started over the weekend, dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas and majorly disrupting transportation.
In parts of Kansas and Missouri, snowfall totals were the highest in decades. Chapman, Kansas, recorded its all-time high at 18 inches. Major highways were closed, and more than 200,000 customers lost power in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and other affected states. In the Washington, D.C. area, snow accumulation reached up to 9 inches, marking the region’s biggest storm since January 2022.
Tragedy was experienced as at least three people died in weather-related incidents. In Wichita, two people were killed when their SUV flipped in the snow, and in Jackson County, Missouri, a 61-year-old pedestrian was fatally struck by a dump truck on icy roads.
With the storm’s center moving east, snow, sleet, and freezing rain had made travel perilous. Over 1,900 flights had been canceled, while more than 6,500 were delayed nationwide. Area airports in the nation’s capital bore the brunt, as two-thirds of flights were canceled at Reagan National Airport. More than 40 trains were also canceled by Amtrak, leaving travelers stranded on major routes like the Northeast Corridor.
Local responders were overwhelmed as tow trucks worked overtime to clear the stuck vehicles. In Richmond, Virginia, an auto repair shop assisted with as many as 50 rescues in a day, as unaccustomed drivers struggled to navigate their way through icy roads.
The authorities alerted that conditions would worsen overnight as temperatures dropped further. Transportation has been disrupted for millions, and such effects are expected to stay for several days.
