A weather warning has been issued for every state in the country as the Midwest prepares to be hit with up to a foot of snowfall.
Multiple weather threats are impacting the country, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has now issued a weather warning for every state.
Blizzard, tornado, flood, avalanche and wind warnings were issued, with a wind advisory extending nearly 2,000 miles from Texas to New England.
Heavy snow is currently spreading across the Midwest, with the NWS reporting one to two inches falling every hour.
Meteorologists have already warned that areas of Montana, particularly Lewistown and Havre, will see temperatures plummet to -48°F due to extreme wind chills.
The Iowa Department of Administrative Services clears snow from the Capitol parking ramp Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, as a snowstorm hit Des Moines
Multiple weather threats are impacting the country, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has now issued a weather warning for every state
The storm left the plains on Thursday and has begun moving east, strengthening and blanketing the Midwest with snow.
Footage has already appeared on social media showing snowstorms in Illinois and Iowa.
Conditions across the country have put 66 million people under winter warnings from Oregon to New York.
The National Weather Service in Des Moines warned: “Travel is expected to become dangerous beginning Friday morning.”
“Floating snow is expected to significantly reduce visibility to near-whiteout conditions by midday Friday and into early Saturday.”
“The cold wind temperatures of just 10 to 20 degrees below zero can cause frostbite on exposed skin in just 30 minutes and can be potentially life-threatening if you are stuck outside.”
It was 11 degrees below zero in Bismarck, North Dakota, on Friday morning, and forecasters warned the weekend would get even worse.
At higher elevations, heavy snow, strong winds and whiteout conditions were expected to envelope the Cascade Mountains, making travel “very difficult to impossible,” the weather service said.
Fresh snow, measuring several feet in certain areas, already blanketed the Cascades earlier in the week.
On Friday morning, road workers in Iowa and Nebraska struggled to stay ahead of the rapidly falling snow.
The Iowa Department of Transportation's road condition map showed that virtually all major highways and interstates were partially or completely covered.
The agency said visibility for drivers was “near zero” in some places and wind-induced drifts quickly negated plow drivers' work.
The Iowa State Patrol released photos of an icy wreckage. “Please do not put yourself or others in danger,” the agency wrote. “The road conditions are extremely dangerous!”
The Iowa Department of Transportation's road condition map showed that virtually all major highways and interstates were partially or completely covered
On Friday morning, road workers in Iowa and Nebraska struggled to stay ahead of the rapidly falling snow
Conditions across the country have put 66 million people under winter warnings from Oregon to New York
Areas of Alabama and Mississippi also have an increased risk of severe thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes as the storm moves east.
A severe weather forecast was issued Friday from Mississippi to North Carolina, with damaging winds, tornadoes and flash flooding.
Due to the weather, a total of 1,643 flights had already been canceled and 1,238 flights were delayed by Friday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration warned Thursday that clouds, snow and strong winds could delay flights at certain airports.
United Airlines Holdings topped the list of cancellations with 238 flights, followed by Southwest Airlines with 215 flights.
Additionally, some flights have been canceled through Saturday as it awaits regulatory approvals to resume operations of Boeing's 737 MAX 9 jets in the country.
In addition to the flight bans, there are currently 96,000 people without power in Illinois, according to the website Poweroutage.
Another 23,642 people are also reported to have fallen into darkness in the state of Wisconsin.
This latest storm follows another massive storm that devastated much of the country earlier this week, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
That storm, which began Monday, devastated cities across the Midwest, stranded people on highways and killed five people.
A person clears snow from their car during a snowstorm in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024
In Wisconsin, one person died in a car accident Tuesday morning amid heavy snowfall due to poor road conditions.
Another accident killed a 35-year-old woman in Webber Township, Michigan, on Tuesday afternoon.
In Alabama, an 81-year-old woman died Tuesday morning when a possible tornado knocked over her mobile home several times while she was inside.
Another person died after severe weather damaged homes at a mobile home park in Claremont, North Carolina.
In Jonesboro, Georgia, a tree fell on the windshield of a car on Tuesday, killing the driver.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had to declare a state of emergency ahead of the storm as roads and trails were flooded and rivers were rising
New York city officials evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants housed in a sprawling tent complex ahead of the storm, fearing it could collapse in high winds.
Photos showed migrant families sleeping on the floor of a Brooklyn high school whose students were forced to go remote Wednesday because of the brief relocation.
In Vermont, the storm brought wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and heavy, wet snow followed by rain, leaving nearly 30,000 homes without power Wednesday morning. Many schools were closed or their opening was delayed.