Winter storm Live Updates: At Least 14 States Declare State of Emergency

A monstrous Winter storm is bearing down on a huge swath of the United States this weekend, prompting state of emergency declarations across at least 14 states. From New Mexico all the way up to Maine, over 170 million people are under alert, bracing for a potentially crippling mix of snow, ice, and dangerously cold temperatures. This isn't just a little flurry we're talking about; this has the potential to shut down entire regions, particularly in the South.

Winter Storm EMERGENCY! Is YOUR State Next?!

The real danger here, and what's causing so much concern, is the ice. Forecasters are predicting up to a full inch of ice accumulation in some areas. Think about that for a second. That's enough to bring down power lines, snap tree limbs, and turn roads into skating rinks that could stay that way for days. Cities like Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville are all in the crosshairs for the worst of it. Even areas north of Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Roanoke, and even our nation's capital, Washington D.C., are bracing for significant ice accumulation.

The states that have already declared a state of emergency are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. I can only imagine the flurry of activity in those state capitals right now, coordinating resources and preparing for the worst. And it’s not just the storm itself; brutally cold temperatures are gripping nearly half the country. More than 50 million people are under extreme cold alerts, stretching from Minneapolis and Chicago all the way down to Dallas and Houston.

The storm's timeline is pretty intense. It's starting Friday afternoon with snow and ice in New Mexico. By Friday evening, Dallas will be seeing a wintry mix, and Oklahoma City will get some snow. But Saturday is when things really ramp up. Freezing rain and wintry mixes will spread from San Antonio to Dallas, then onward to Little Rock, Memphis, Shreveport, and Tupelo. By Saturday evening, the whole mess will stretch from New Mexico to the Carolinas, with Raleigh and Atlanta potentially seeing a nasty mix of wintry precipitation.

And it doesn't stop there. The storm keeps chugging eastward. By early Sunday morning, snow could be falling from Wichita to Cincinnati, Washington D.C., and even Philadelphia. Forecasters say that by Sunday midday, New York City could see snow. Thankfully, D.C. might warm up enough to transition from snow to a wintry mix, hopefully lessening the impact there. By Sunday evening, the Northeast corridor is expecting rain or snow, while the interior Northeast and most of New England are forecast to see snow into early Monday. Stay safe out there, folks, and check back for updates as this storm continues to develop.