Winter storm hits central U.S., barrels toward Washington

Winter storm blankets U.S. with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, impacting travel, schools, and flights across multiple states.

A winter storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to a broad swath of the U.S. on Sunday (January 5, 2025), with some 60 million people across more than a dozen states from Kansas to New Jersey under winter weather warnings and advisories.

The storm was moving toward the mid-Atlantic, where Washington, D.C. was bracing for heavy snow and bitter cold on Monday (January 6, 2025), the same day the U.S. Congress is set to meet and formally certify Republican Donald Trump's election as president.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday (January 5, 2025) the weather would not prevent lawmakers from carrying out their duties. But federal offices in the nation's capital will be closed, the Office of Personnel Management announced.

Kansas and parts of northwestern Missouri were enduring blizzard conditions, the National Weather Service said. Roadways were blanketed in snow and ice, and officials urged residents to avoid travel.

Much of the main artery in Kansas, Interstate 70, was closed throughout Sunday due to heavy snow and ice.

In Missouri, the state police were sweeping a shut-down stretch of more than 50 miles on Interstate 29, searching for stranded motorists. As of late Sunday afternoon, troopers had responded to nearly 600 stranded drivers and 285 crashes, the agency said on X.

Total snowfall of between six and 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) was expected from southern Ohio to Washington. Hundreds of schools announced in advance that they would not open on Monday due to the storm, including public schools in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington and Philadelphia.