Overview
- The National Weather Service warned that heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain threaten nearly 180 million people from New Mexico to New England, with dangerous wind chills and ice that will be slow to melt.
- Flight cancellations from Saturday through Monday topped 14,000 according to trackers, with full suspensions at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers on Saturday and Sunday morning and heavy disruptions at Dallas–Fort Worth, Reagan National, Memphis, Charlotte and Nashville.
- Power outages climbed into the low-to-mid hundreds of thousands, with tens of thousands in Louisiana and Texas, as forecasters cautioned that ice-damaged trees and lines could prolong restoration.
- President Donald Trump approved federal emergency declarations for numerous states and Washington, D.C., while FEMA pre-positioned supplies and personnel and states activated National Guard units.
- Major airlines issued travel waivers, and U.S. rules entitle passengers to cash refunds for canceled flights, as some airports like Billings reported limited local impact but warned of disruptions on connecting routes.