More than 10,000 flights canceled as bitter cold blankets the U.S.

Officials in New York City and New Jersey are focusing much of their energy on roadway safety as they prepare for snow, ice and strong winds.

NYC Emergency Management issued a hazardous travel advisory for Sunday and Monday as the region is expected to be in for the lowest multi-day temperatures it has experienced in eight years, city officials said in a statement.

Mayor Mamdani vowed to have plowing and street salting operations ongoing throughout the extreme weather episode, he said in the statement.

In New Jersey, the state Department of Transportation issued an emergency order that temporarily lowers posted speed limits to 35 mph on interstate and state highways starting Sunday, the department said in a statement.

The slower speeds join restrictions on big-rigs for some roadways Sunday, the department said. Officials hope the moves will prevent collisions and other calamaties during the weather, but they also say drivers should simply stay off the road or get off when things get dangerous.

Thousands of New York City trash-collection trucks have been outfitted with snow plows and will soon crisscross the city to clear streets, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

This weekend, “each 12-hour shift will be staffed by more than 2,000 sanitation workers,” Mamdani said in a video posted on X today. “And once there’s more than 2 inches of snow on the ground, plows will roll out across more than 19,000 lane miles of roadways and bikeways.” 

When the snow starts in New York tomorrow morning, observers can track the plowing vehicles on PlowNYC.

In a news release, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) said it applied brine to city streets beginning yesterday and that it has 700 million pounds of salt on hand to help melt snow. 

New Jersey Transit will suspend commuter rail, light rail, bus and Access Link services starting tomorrow because of the impending weather.

Light rail, bus and Access Link suspensions will begin at 4 a.m. tomorrow, the agency said in a news release. Commuter rail suspensions start at 2 p.m.

Access Link provides transportation services to people with disabilities.

"We will provide updates on Monday service on Sunday as we assess the impacts of the storm throughout the state," Gov. Mikie Sherrill said on X.

As temps drop, the number of people without power has been going up.

More than 145,000 customers were without electricity shortly before 6:30 p.m. ET, the majority of which are in Texas and Louisiana, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.

Over 47,000 of those customers are in Texas, and more than 59,000 are in Louisiana. An ice storm warning is in effect in parts of central, southwest and west central Louisiana and southeast Texas, where ice accumulations of up to 3/4 inch and sleet accumulations of up to an inch are possible.

Package and food delivery companies are getting ready for the storm.

UPS said it will keep making pickups and deliveries where it’s safe but that operations could be affected by the conditions. The company added that its service guarantee does not apply to shipments affected by weather.

FedEx said it is closely monitoring storms and has contingency plans in place. UPS and FedEx customers can track their packages on the companies’ websites.

Food delivery companies Grubhub and DoorDash said they may pause deliveries in areas dealing with severe weather. They also warned wait times may be longer.

For areas where it is still operating, DoorDash said customers may see a Weather Impact Fee when they’re ordering. The full fee goes to drivers delivering in areas with bad weather, it said.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has activated a State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response to this weekend’s winter storm.

“This activation brings additional subject matter experts from other state agencies and external partners into one location to facilitate an effective, direct and coordinated response to the winter storm impacting the state,” the release said. 

Indiana Governor Mike Braun has also activated highway assistance teams from the Indiana National Guard ahead of dangerous road conditions, according to the release.

Columbus, Ohio, is expecting more snowfall in the next two days than it has seen in about two decades, Mayor Andrew Ginther said today.

“This is going to come down very quickly,” Ginther said in a news conference, noting Columbus is expecting about 10 to 14 inches of snowfall.

Scott Tourville, a public works official in charge of snow operations, said city workers and contractors would not be able to keep streets clear and that roadways will remain a problem through Tuesday.

“We are emptying the bench and throwing everything we have at this storm, and yet we know we will not be able to keep up,” Tourville said. “We will be throwing everything that we have at this, but roads will be bad.” 

Tourville said the National Weather Service was predicting 10 inches of snow in about 12 hours tomorrow, as well as cold weather that persists through at least the end of the month. 

“This has the absolute potential to be one of the top-five, top-10 snow events in Columbus history,” Tourville said.

Noem today urged people to stay off the roads and stay at home so state and local officials can handle the effects of snow, ice and intense cold.

“We want to remind everybody that in these emergency disaster situations, it’s your local officials and local emergency managers that go out and execute response to these disasters. Your states manage it and the federal government is here to support,” Noem said during a news conference. 

Last year, the Trump administration suggested it would overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency and give more responsibility to states during disaster responses. FEMA’s staffing is down by about 20% in comparison to last year, according to Sabotaging our Safety, an advocacy organization tracking changes at the agency.

For this winter storm, Noem said she’s been in conference calls with governors and local leaders to ensure that the FEMA and other branches of the Department of Homeland were communicating effectively. 

Noem said FEMA had prepositioned supplies, embedded workers in state emergency operations centers and had incident management teams ready to deploy. Dozens of urban search and rescue teams were also ready, if needed, she said. 

“Governors remain in the lead on these responses, and we are continuously talking to them to see what they need to continue to take care of their citizens and make sure that people are safe,” Noem said.

As sleet, ice and snow pound much of the country, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said at least 17 states and the District of Columbia have declared emergencies. 

In posts on Truth Social this afternoon, President Trump said he has approved federal emergency declarations for Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia.

A federal emergency declaration paves the way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with emergency work to remove debris or take emergency protective measures, such as building repairs. The cost of such work is split between localities and the federal government, which pays for 75% of the overall bill.

“I’m sure there will be more coming," Noem said of the federal emergency declarations. "We are turning those around immediately to make sure that states have the resources from the federal government that they’ve requested."

The amount of rain and sleet that Philadelphia will experience during this weekend's storm is "probably the most we’ve seen in over a decade if not more in terms of just pure sleet accumulation,” NBC Philadelphia meteorologist Justin Godynick said.

“When you’re dealing with sleet, when we’re talking about 2 inches possible of sleet accumulation, if you do the math, that’s 3, 4 inches of rain if not more equivalent to make that much sleet,” Godynick explained.

South Carolina officials today told residents to prepare for the worst ice storm in at least 20 years.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said during a news conference that the state was prepared but that residents might be without power and facing extremely cold temperatures for several days.

“You may be without electricity for maybe four days or maybe longer,” McMaster said, encouraging residents to check on family, friends and neighborhoods in isolated areas.

“We don’t want to have people that are inaccessible for three or four days, perhaps without electricity, perhaps without water, perhaps without heat for that long a time. That’s called a disaster," the governor said.

The National Weather Service was forecasting “crippling ice accumulations” in upstate South Carolina, which is the northwest portion of the state. Ice could sag power lines with its weight, take down trees and leave roadways impassible for vehicles.

“This will be the most significant ice storm in the upstate since 2005, and so it will not only be worse but also more widespread, causing extensive travel disruptions, prolonged power outages and vast tree damage,” said John Quagliariello, a National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist in the Columbia, South Carolina, weather forecasting office.

Snow, sleet and ice continue to stretch from parts of New Mexico through the Ohio Valley this afternoon.

Around 194 million people from Arizona to Maine remain under winter alerts this afternoon. Snowfall totals as of 2 p.m. include 7.8 inches in Little Rock, Arkansas, 7 inches in Beloit, Kansas, and 3.5 inches in Memphis, Tennessee.

About 84 million people are also under cold weather alerts across the Plains, Ohio Valley and New England regions, including Duluth, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis and Cincinnati.

Temperatures will remain 10 to 40 degrees below average this afternoon. The overnight wind chills will be the most extreme along the northern Plains, ranging from minus 30 to minus 50 degrees.

Places like Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Boston and Dallas could see wind chills around minus 5 to minus 10 degrees, with single digits in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

A video posted on X Saturday afternoon shows a plane being de-iced at the Rochester Airport before taking flight.

Most bus and rail services in New Jersey will be canceled tomorrow.

NJ Transit said it will cancel bus, light rail and Access Link services beginning at 4 a.m., according to a news release from the agency. NJ Transit’s rail services will be halted at 2 p.m.

“Customers should avoid unnecessary travel tomorrow as roads need to remain clear for local, county and state forces to remove snow so service can resume as quickly as it is safe to do so,” the agency said in a news release, adding that it was canceling its transportation services “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of customers and employees.”

NJ Transit is third-largest transit system in the country, with 264 bus routes, three light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. Access Link is a paratransit service for people with disabilities. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke about the city's preparations ahead of the anticipated snowstorm, warning that temperatures will be colder this weekend than they have been in eight years.

Snowfall is expected to start around midnight and fall at its heaviest rate tomorrow morning and early afternoon, Mamdani said.

"By early Monday morning, the heaviest of the weather will have passed, although some precipitation could continue through the day," Mamdani said. "We expect at least 8 to 9 inches of snow, and likely more. This will not just be snow. This storm will also bring with it intense cold, a prolonged period of frigid temperatures that will last through the next week."

In preparation for the storm, teams from New York's Department of Sanitation have brined highways and roads in the city, while the Emergency Management Department has activated its winter weather plan, Mamdani said. The city previously activated a Code Blue, deploying teams to reach out to homeless residents and connect them to shelter options.

Plowing operations will start in the city shortly after snow starts to fall, Mamdani said.

"Make no mistake, we are taking every precaution, and we are prepared for every possible amount of snow," he said.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said today that the state is preparing for what is anticipated to be "a catastrophic storm."

"We know that the impact of this storm will be tremendous, significant snowfalls, significant ice. And we are anticipating, because of the dangerously low temperatures, ongoing impacts of this storm will continue after the point in time when the snow or the ice has stopped falling," Spanberger said.

Spanberger encouraged residents to prepare for "significant and extended power outages during and after the storm." She also said that state police have begun clearing the roads ahead of the storm and the National Guard will be positioned to assist with debris removal and other needs.

President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for the state last night, Spanberger said, adding that FEMA representatives are on the ground to offer assistance.

People shop for supplies at a Home Depot today in Falls Church, Va. Alex Wroblewski / AFP - Getty Images

George Walker IV / AP

Sledders take advantage of the hill at the Tennessee state Capitol in Nashville today.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont ordered the virtual and partial activation of the state's Emergency Operations Center in preparation for tomorrow's storm.

The state is expecting anywhere from 14 to 22 inches of snow and whiteout conditions tomorrow, Lamont said on X.

He encouraged residents to shelter in place and avoid travel.

Snow began falling in Louisville, Kentucky, with forecasters warning that conditions will worsen overnight as the winter storm moves through the region.

“We know that in western Kentucky, they’ve already received over about 1 inch of accumulation, and that is headed our way,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a press conference this afternoon.

Meteorologist Brian Neudorff from the National Weather Service said that the snow would intensify overnight, although the forecast snow amounts have diminished. Eight to 12 inches of snow are still expected, while the chance of freezing rain is “on the lower end,” Neudorff said.

“It’s going to gradually begin to increase in intensity as we go throughout the afternoon, and really begin to pick up as we make our way into later on tonight,” Neudorff said.

Wind chills going into Monday night and Tuesday are expected to fall to 10 to 20 degrees below zero.

Greenberg said Louisville is preparing for “high extremes.” “We hope that those numbers continue to come down in practice, but of course, we’re preparing for the worst conditions,” Greenberg said.

Officials said this afternoon Louisville is fully mobilized: A state of emergency has been declared, and 70 plow and salt trucks are deployed across the metro area.

Trash collection has been canceled, and residents are urged to stay off the roads, move vehicles off designated snow routes and allow crews to work safely.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced ahead of this weekend’s winter storm that federal offices in D.C. will be closed on Monday. “Maximum telework will be in effect,” the office said in a post on X. 

All Smithsonian museums in the D.C. area will also be closed Sunday and Monday.

The storm is set to arrive in D.C. on Saturday evening and bring 6 to 10 inches of snow, as well as ice.

More than 132,000 homes across the U.S. are without power as cold weather, sleet and ice began to leave their mark.

That's according to poweroutage.com, which tracks utilities' performance.

Most of the outages were in Southern and Southwestern states, including Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

The National Weather Service office in Louisville, Kentucky, warned that more than half an inch of ice could blanket south-central Kentucky through Monday morning.

“This will cause significant impacts, such as very dangerous driving conditions, tree damage, downed power lines, and prolonged power outages,” the office wrote on X. 

The forecast remains uncertain and unsettled, however, due to a temperature inversion in the region, during which surface temperatures are below freezing, but higher layers of the atmosphere are above freezing.

Forecasters sometimes refer to the type of inversion as a “warm nose.” In these conditions, precipitation can start as snow, then melt into rain drops, and then freeze again upon contact with the ground.

In a forecast discussion, an NWS forecaster noted that it was “going to be tricky” because forecasting models do not yet agree on where, exactly, the “warm nose” would be and what effects it would have.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham declared a state of emergency ahead of freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall this weekend in New Mexico.

The governor authorized up to $200,000 in emergency funds for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 

The executive order states that the severe weather “will likely be of such magnitude as to be beyond local control and requires the resources of the State of New Mexico to minimize economic and physical harm.”

This weekend’s storm has the potential to bring up to a foot of snow in some areas of New Mexico, shut down interstates and cause power outages, the executive order said.

Will Newton / Getty Images

A driver stands outside a vehicle that got stuck in the snow in Little Rock, Arkansas, today.

A total of 11,835 flights traveling into, from and within the U.S. have been canceled so far this weekend, according to preliminary data from FlightAware.com.

Today, over 3,700 flights have been canceled and 2,175 have been delayed as of this afternoon. Tomorrow, around 8,090 flights are expected to be canceled and 693 delayed.

Today, Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport is leading the charts with 1,341 cancellations and 122 delays. Charlotte Douglas International Airport follows closely behind with 437 cancellations and 91 delays.

American Airlines accounts for most of the cancellations and delays, with 940 cancellations and 275 delays.

A Southwest flight takes off at Nasvhille International Airport as snow falls today. Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

A monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across parts of the country, with some areas already experiencing power outages. Forecasters warned that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Thousands of weekend flights have been canceled. Oklahoma’s largest airport called off all of its flights Saturday.

Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions stack up:

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser posted an image of snowplows on X today ahead of this weekend’s major storm. “Snow is coming tonight in Washington, DC,” the post read.

“We’re expecting at least 9” of snow, followed by extreme cold weather through the end of next week,” she wrote in the post.

The post said that teams in the nation’s capital are “working to keep residents safe, warm, and inside all weekend long.”

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation released an alert today strongly discouraging travel statewide. Crews continue to plow snow and treat slick areas across the state. 

“Staying off the interstates and highways will allow crews to better clear snow and treat icy conditions,” the alert said. Transportation crews will continue winter weather operations until roads are clear.

Highways are now snow-packed and icy in certain areas and “should be considered slick and hazardous,” the alert said.

The department urged drivers to be aware of black ice and stay about 200 feet, approximately the length of two basketball courts, behind trucks if travel is absolutely necessary.

Interstate 40 is covered in snow today in downtown Oklahoma City. Alonzo Adams / AP

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said parts of his state could see as much as 15 inches of snow and that he’s concerned about prolonged power outages.

“Kentucky, we’re looking at 36 straight hours of snow, sleet, freezing rain and dangerous temperatures across the state,” Beshear wrote in a series posts on X. “This storm is going to have a major impact on roadways, utilities and daily lives.” 

Beshear said the state had 43 warming centers prepared to take people in from the cold, and that about 800 Kentucky Guard personnel were ready to respond.

Lyft said it is "closely monitoring" weather conditions as the storm develops.

"We urge drivers to prioritize their safety, avoid driving in hazardous conditions, and call 911 first in any emergency," a spokesperson from Lyft said in a statement. "Drivers and riders should rely on local weather reports and guidance from local officials regarding road safety.”

Around 190 million people are under winter alerts this morning across 37 states, stretching from parts of the Rockies through New England.

A large cluster of snow, ice and sleet will persist from parts of New Mexico through the Tennessee Valley. Snowfall totals so far include 7 inches in Beloit, Kansas, 6 inches in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 4.5 inches in Crowder, Oklahoma.

Snow will start to creep over the Midwest and mid-Atlantic region by later this evening and overnight. Tomorrow, the heaviest ice, snow and sleet will hit the mid-South, Midwest and mid-Atlantic region.

Showers will gradually end over the southern Plains by tomorrow afternoon, with the heavy precipitation shifting into New England through the afternoon and evening hours.

On Monday, the storm will be over for most, but snow and sleet will linger over New England and downwind of the Great Lakes through the evening.

Snow falls today in Nashville, Tenn.  George Walker IV / AP

Dangerous cold

About 151 million people throughout the central and eastern U.S. are also under cold weather alerts this morning, spanning from Canada to Mexico.

Morning wind chills dropped as low as the minus 20s and minus 30s across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Daytime highs will range 10 to 40 degrees below average throughout the Lower 48 this weekend.

This will be a long-duration cold event, with record cold temperatures forecast to last through Tuesday and Wednesday in the South, while below-freezing temperatures could last up to 10 days for cities in the Northeast.

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said city resources will remain available to all residents during the storm, adding that people should not be afraid to seek help at warming centers or resilience hubs because of concerns about immigration enforcement.

Jones' remarks came during a news conference following a special City Council session Thursday focused on immigration enforcement activity and fears that residents might avoid emergency shelters during severe weather.

“Based on the session that we had on Thursday, if folks need to come to a resilience hub, or if they need to come to a warming center, they just show up,” said Jones. “OK? They just show up and take care of our neighbors.”

Rudy Garza, the CEO of CPS Energy, the city’s energy provider, also reassured residents about the power supply, saying there is “plenty of power in the ERCOT market."

“If you have an outage, the likelihood is it will be a localized outage due to wind or something that caused it,” Garza said.

USA Today Network; Getty; AP; Reuters

A woman bundled up against the cold in Milwaukee, snowplows in Oklahoma, chimneys in Michigan, a shelter in Dallas and empty shelves Washington, D.C., yesterday as residents prepare for the storm.

New York City residents shopping ahead of the upcoming snowstorm were met with grocery stores full of empty shelves last night.

Shoppers scrambled from store to store around the city looking for basic goods.

Empty shelves at a Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, N.Y. Mirna Alsharif / NBC News

The region is expected to get around 8 to 14 inches of snow from a storm forecast to hit the area tonight.

Empty shelves at a supermarket in New York yesterday. Selcuk Acar / Anadolu via Getty Images

Two fires at Bronx apartment buildings could leave many residents without homes during this weekend's snowstorm.

One fire at a 17-story building killed one person and left 14 others injured. FDNY firefighters responded to 3485 Bivona Street at around 12:09 a.m. this morning after receiving a call about a gas odor at the apartment building, according to the department.

While the FDNY was on the scene, an explosion happened in the upper floors, turning it into a four-alarm fire, the department said.

"We had severe structural damage in six apartments on each floor, Chief John Esposito said about the 15th, 16th and 17th floors. "We eventually had fire in five apartments on the 16th floor and five apartments on the 17th floor. It was a very, very dangerous operation for our firefighters, who performed incredibly on those upper floors, searching and protecting civilian life."

The fire is under control, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a news briefing Saturday. Utilities in the building have been shut down and all 148 apartments were "vacated," he added.

The American Red Cross is operating a shelter at the Rosa Parks Educational Campus where they are providing support for at least 101 households, which includes 305 people, 89 of whom are children, a spokesperson told NBC News.

The call for another fire came in late Friday night at 2115 Cross Bronx Expressway, according to FDNY. The two-alarm fire injured five people, including four civilians and one firefighter.

The fire was under control by 12:27 a.m., the FDNY said.

The causes of both fires are under investigation.

The American Red Cross is encouraging anyone impacted by the fires to reach out or head to the shelter at the Rosa Parks Educational Campus.

Video captured on the ground in Norman, Oklahoma, yesterday shows snow falling and piling up on the ground.

Up to a foot of snow is expected in parts of Oklahoma over the course of this weekend's winter storm.

President Donald Trump said he approved emergency declarations for the storms expected to hit South Carolina and Virginia.

"With the help of FEMA and our State partners, we will keep everyone safe, and make sure both States have the support they need," he said in a post on Truth Social. "We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm!"

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said all Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations across the commonwealth will be closed on Sunday "to ensure the safety of customers and employees."

The stores remain open today.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the cold emergency declared Thursday will continue through Sunday morning.

"Please, take extra precaution. Bundle up if you need to go outside, and please try not to need to go outside by doing what you can and staying warm and staying safe," she said at a morning news conference.

Snowfall is expected to start Sunday, with the heaviest beginning around 2 p.m. and lasting until around 3 a.m. Monday. Wu said the area is forecast to get 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour.

"We could be in whiteout conditions, and so we really will need everyone to stay off the roads wherever possible and give our crews the space to work," she said.

Thousands of flights have already been canceled and delayed as winter weather moves in.

As of this morning, 3,384 flights within, into or out of the United States have been canceled, according to FlightAware.com. There are 997 delays within, into or out of the United States.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is leading with more than 1,200 total flight cancellations, according to FlightAware.

"The DFW team continues to work around the clock to maintain a safe operation across the airport, support our partners, and serve our customers," the airport said in a Facebook post. "If you’re flying out today, allow extra time to get to the airport and drive with care."

A total of 420 flights have been canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Massive Winter Storm Causes Airport Delays and Cancellations

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Video posted to X shows rare icy and snowy conditions in Chico, Texas, a town about two hours away from Dallas.

Heavy snow is forecast across a large span of the country, with more than 1 foot of snow expected in the hardest-hit areas, according to the National Weather Service.

The south-central U.S. is already experiencing snow, sleet and freezing rain that "will continue to expand eastward through Sunday," the NWS said in an X post.

"Extremely cold air will follow, prolonging dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts into next week," the NWS said.

More than 50,000 people woke up in the U.S. without power on this morning, according to data from poweroutage.us.

According to the website, 17,977 customers in Texas were experiencing outages as of 6:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, as well as 4,495 in Minnesota and 4,084 in California.

Thousands in Arkansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and the Virgin Islands were also without power, it said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has reiterated a warning of deadly conditions and possible power outages as the winter storm dumps large amounts of snow on the state.

"Folks, we are under a state of emergency," he said in a post on X. "The winter storm is moving through Kentucky starting this morning, with areas expecting up to 15 inches of snow, ice accumulation and dangerously cold temperatures.

He added: "Do not travel, have your alerts on, keep your pets inside and make sure your phones are charged. The ice could cause power outages, so please be aware of where your nearest warming center is."

​The I-64 corridor, including Louisville and Lexington, is expected receive up to 15 inches of snow over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville.

A customer looks at hats, sleds and snow shovels at Keith's Hardware store Friday in Louisville, Ky. Jon Cherry / Getty Images

Electricity and natural gas companies are warning customers that they could experience power outages.

Dominion Energy said it’s preparing for significant and widespread power outages in Virginia and North Carolina because of heavy ice and snow, and say that if power does go out, it could take days to restore it.

National Grid expects Massachusetts to be hit hard, with snow buildups possibly leading to sagging powerlines and tree limbs that can contribute to power outages. It's getting additional crews ready and sending them to areas that could be most severely affected.

Eversource, an energy provider in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, is not expecting major impacts but has extra crews ready to respond to any outages.

And Con Edison, which operates in New York City and the surrounding areas, said it is mobilizing crews and coordinating with local emergency management agencies.

Utility companies say people should stay away from downed power lines, fully charge devices before the storm and stock up on supplies. They also say anyone with generators should connect and test them ahead of time.

Wind during this storm won’t be overly strong, but a gust of 25 to 35 mph on a tree covered in ice is an issue. This will be the case in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. 

The ice accumulation forecast for Charlotte is now at 0.59 inches, and the area is under an ice storm warning. Scattered power outages occur with over 0.50 inches of ice accretion, and widespread outages over 0.75 inches of ice accretion.

Significant icing, including compacted sleet and snow, is expected, according to the National Weather Service in Greenville. Total snow and sleet accumulations sit between 1 and 3 inches, and ice accumulations between one-half and three-quarters of an inch. Wind gusts as high as 35 miles per hour are expected.

As a dangerously cold weather front plunges into the U.S., tens of millions across much of the country can expect heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain.

The Winter Storm Severity Index from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center forecasts how dangerous conditions will become for travel and key infrastructure.

NBC News is tracking the center’s data on the interactive map below, which shows the storm forecast for the next 72 hours. It will be updated with the latest data every two hours.

Read the full story here.

Airlines have already canceled more than 5,000 flights through the weekend, and experts estimate up to 15,000 could be delayed by tomorrow. 

Thousands of flights canceled ahead of monster storm

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