A major winter storm canceled more than 13,000 flights and brought dangerous ice and heavy snow to nearly half of the United States over the weekend, threatening about 180 million people across a path stretching from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters warned that damage from ice accumulation, especially in ice-laden areas, could rival that of a hurricane, with heavy, wet ice preventing rapid recovery while dangerously cold temperatures persisted for days.

Thousands of travelers faced canceled flights and millions of Americans braced for dangerous ice as a major winter storm swept across the United States on the weekend of January 24-25, 2026. The National Weather Service warned that the severe weather, with its combination of wet, heavy ice and frigid temperatures, could produce damage comparable to a major hurricane.

“The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Flight Cancellations Hit Pandemic-Era Record

More than 13,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the United States, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Sunday’s cancellations alone set the highest single-day total since the coronavirus pandemic, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

All Saturday departures were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, with airport officials targeting a Sunday afternoon restart. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major U.S. hub, canceled more than 700 departing flights Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights. Disruptions rippled through airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina. By late Saturday afternoon, nearly all departing flights scheduled for Sunday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had already been called off.

About 140,000 power outages were reported Saturday in the storm’s path, including more than 58,000 in Louisiana and about 50,000 in Texas, according to poweroutage.us. In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice accumulated on pine trees and snapped branches, bringing down power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 electric customers lost power Saturday. “We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” said Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”

In DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, more than half of all electric customers lost power as trees became saturated with ice. “These trees are just completely saturated with ice,” said Mark Pierce, a spokesperson for the local sheriff’s office.

Forecasters said the damage from ice could rival that of a hurricane. “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” said Will Lanxton, Georgia’s senior state meteorologist. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”

Extreme Cold Poses Life-Threatening Danger

The Midwest experienced extreme wind chills, with readings as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning frostbite could develop within 10 minutes. Rhinelander, Wisconsin, recorded minus 36 degrees on Saturday morning, the lowest temperature there in nearly 30 years.

In Minneapolis, protesters calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave Minnesota faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit providing cold-weather supplies to unhoused individuals, went out to check on those who could not seek shelter. “Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said Morgan McLuckie, the nonprofit’s CEO.

Federal and State Emergency Response

President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday, with additional states expected to follow. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff and search-and-rescue teams across numerous states, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “We just ask that everyone would be smart – stay home if possible,” Noem said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp deployed 120 National Guard members to northeast Georgia to strengthen response efforts in the hardest-hit areas, following his earlier decision to place 500 members on standby. The state’s Department of Transportation deployed 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts to treat highways with brine after midnight Saturday.

“We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” said Russell McMurry, commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Transportation. “This is going to be a challenge.”

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” she said. “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”

Schools Close and Events Cancel Across Affected Regions

Schools announced closings for Monday in Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and Memphis, Tennessee. Universities including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi canceled classes. Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville held its Saturday night radio performance without an audience.

Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled due to the storm. Despite the dangerous conditions, sledders took advantage of the snow on a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, using green discs and inflatable pool animals to slide down the slopes.

The storm was expected to move into the Northeast after clearing the South, with snow forecast to exceed one foot in some areas. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to remain indoors: “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger. Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.”

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