Winter US storm: Heavy snow and travel disruption hits US with at least six people dead (2025)

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Live Reporting

Edited by Brandon Livesay

Death toll rises as winter storm freezes US statespublished at 01:56 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
01:56 GMT 7 January
Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York
A deadly winter storm has caused chaos across several US states, causing dangerous driving conditions, shutting down airports and cutting power for hundreds of thousands of people.
At least six deaths have been recorded, most were related to icy roads. One man's body was found outside a bus shelter in Houston, Texas, with authorities saying he died because of the cold weather.
Power outages are still affecting nearly a quarter of a million customers across six states, according to Poweroutages.us.
But the polar vortex conditions appear to be easing. In Kansas City, the international airport has recently opened back up for flights. The city was hit with some of its heaviest snowfall in more than 30 years. The airport had more than 11 inches of snow.
While the snowfall has slowed in some areas, the conditions remain below freezing. And the danger for many people is not over.
We're pausing our live coverage, but you can read the latest by clicking the news story below:
- Multiple dead as huge winter storm grips swathe of US
More snow headed to Washington DC later this weekpublished at 01:40 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
01:40 GMT 7 January
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington
Image source, Getty Images
Washington DC is still reeling from today's snow, which brought traffic to a standstill and caused chaos at the city's airports.
But more may be yet to come.
Local meteorologists predict that cold weather will mean the snow is unlikely to melt this week, and that the roads may be frozen and potentially hazardous.
Experts have also forecast another winter storm to strike the US Capitol late on Friday and going into Saturday - one that could potentially leave even more snow than what we experienced earlier today.
While rare, the city being struck by two winter storms in under a week is not unheard of.
In 2010, for example, nearly 18 inches of snow fell in early February, followed two days later by another 10 inches.
Catch up on the latestpublished at 01:26 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
01:26 GMT 7 January
If you're just joining us, here's the latest on the polar vortex which has brought icy temperatures and snowy weather to a large swathe of the US.
- At least six people have died because of conditions caused by the ongoing winter storm, according to officials in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia and North Carolina
- Parts of Kansas have recorded more than 18in (46cm) of snow, leading to widespread road closures
- Power outages have been reported in at least six states, impacting about 250,000 customers, according to Poweroutages.us
- More than 2,200 flights have been cancelled because of the snow, according to FlightAware.com, and more than 23,000 were impacted by delays.
- Across the US, multiple schools and government offices have closed due to the weather
- The cold weather is forecast to stick around for part of Tuesday, but slowly begin to taper off later in the week, according to forecasters
A snowy day for lawmakers on Capitol Hillpublished at 01:16 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
01:16 GMT 7 January
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington
Image source, Getty Images
Today's massive snowfall in Washington DC came on a big day for the city - the anniversary of the 6 January 2021 riots at the US Capitol, and Congress' certification of Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election.
This morning's heavy snows - about 5 inches (13cm) of snow covered the Capitol - snarled traffic to a halt in the area and forced employees of the Architect of the Capitol to sweep the building's steps ahead of the certification process.
Despite the snow and anniversary of the chaotic, violent riots, the day went smoothly. Vice-president and one-time presidential hopeful Kamala Harris stood at the front of the US House chamber with a sombre expression on her face as lawmakers read out each state's election results.
Ahead of the certification, some observers had speculated that the event would be delayed by the weather, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to vow that it would still go ahead.
"Whether we're in a blizzard or not, we're going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," he told Fox News.
Read more about the certification and anniversary of the Capitol Hill riots here.
Is climate change to blame?published at 01:03 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
01:03 GMT 7 January
Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist
It is pretty unusual to see such a large winter storm across the US and having temperatures so far below the average, so far south.
Even for some states in the Central Plains over the weekend there was 12 to 15 inches of snow, the heaviest in a decade.
The very cold air across the US has been caused by a weakening of the Polar Vortex – a fast wind high in the atmosphere that normally keeps the cold air in place across the Poles.
While we have overall global warming, there are some areas like the Arctic regions that are warming faster than the rest of the globe.
Research suggests that the differing in temperature change is likely to weaken the Polar Vortex further and therefore result in more disruptions allowing cold Arctic air to get displaced to lower latitudes.
So while many may think that in a warming world there won’t be winter storms, that is not necessarily the case. While average temperatures will generally rise across the US, there will still be these short but potentially severe wintery spells.
The first serious snow in two years, resident sayspublished at 00:33 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
00:33 GMT 7 January
Image source, Devin Hartnett
Devin Hartnett, a mother of three in Reston, Virginia, is a cross-country skier who is thrilled with the rising snow totals.
After returning from a New Year's Eve trip to snowy West Virginia on Sunday, she's back on her skis again on Monday as she explores the trails near her home in the suburbs of Washington DC.
Skiing on top of six inches of fresh snow, she saw a family of deer also out in her neighbourhood, she tells the BBC.
"It hasn't snowed here in two years so this was a real treat," she said.
After showing her kids their first snowstorm in West Virginia - including their "first taste of ski touring in a whiteout and skiing through the trees" - today she elected to leave the kids at home.
"This was mama's morning," says Hartnett.
Image source, Devin Hartnett
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Boil water notice issued in Richmond, Virginiapublished at 00:12 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
00:12 GMT 7 January
The city of Richmond, Virginia, has issued an urgent advisory telling residents to boil all drinking water and to not use water from the tap to wash dishes or brush teeth.
The notice "comes after a winter weather storm-related loss of power today impacted the City’s water reservoir system, causing the system to temporarily malfunction," the city said in a statement.
Richmond is the capital of Virginia and home to about 230,000 people.
"Capacity restoration services are currently underway," the city's statement adds.
Woman killed in icy North Carolina car crashpublished at 00:00 Greenwich Mean Time 7 January
00:00 GMT 7 January
Police in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, say that a fatal car crash that happened early on Monday morning is related to the ongoing winter storm.
Police say a 46-year-old woman was found dead after her 2009 Kia went off the road near a highway overpass, crashing into trees.
Investigators called to the scene reported slick roadways. Another passenger inside the vehicle was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
This is the sixth death attributed to the winter storm. Traffic fatalities have been reported in Kansas and Virginia, while deaths have also been reported in Texas and Missouri.
'A Nordic Nirvana' at West Virginia cross-country ski areapublished at 23:41 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
23:41 GMT 6 January
Max Matza
BBC News
Image source, Devin Hartnett/ Facebook
It may be a Monday, but in West Virginia - one of more than half a dozen states under a state of emergency - the party at the White Grass Ski Touring Center, external is going strong with schools out and locals taking to the ski trails.
"I mean it is like a dream come true. It's like creamy powder and it keeps snowing," says White Grass owner Chip Chase from the lodge in Tucker County, about three hours drive from Washington DC.
"It's a powder paradise. A Nordic Nirvana," he marvels.
The snow doesn't often stick around for long this far south, says Chase, meaning the locals know they have to get it before it melts.
"Whenever you get a lot of good snow south of the Mason-Dixon line, nobody takes it for granted. There's more excitement here when it snows than anywhere else in the ski world," he tells BBC News.
Image source, Chip Chase
Image source, Dylan Jones/ Highland Outdoors
Washington DC airport closes all runwayspublished at 23:27 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
23:27 GMT 6 January
Image source, X/Reagan Airport
Reagan National Airport, which services Washington DC, has announced it is closing down all of its runways because of the ongoing weather emergency.
The airport said in a post about an hour ago that all of its runways will close down on Monday evening, so "crews can focus on snow removal and prevent refreezing on the airfield".
The airport posted a photo of snow clearing operations earlier with the caption: "Our snow team is hard at work, keeping the runways clear.
"If you are flying out tonight, check with your airline for flight status before you come to the airport. It's been a snowy day!"
Avalanche warning due to high winds in New Hampshire mountainspublished at 23:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
23:12 GMT 6 January
Image source, MWAC
New Hampshire's Mount Washington Avalanche Center - the only recreational avalanche forecasting operation on the US East Coast - warns that the extreme winds the region is famous for could bring a greater danger than the snow.
In an avalanche bulletin, external issued on Monday for the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, forecasters say the less than three inches of "light-density snow" from the last several days, combined with "increasingly strong winds" could create the danger of a slab avalanche.
A slab avalanche is caused by the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab), which is formed by wind-drifted snow. It is among the most deadly types of avalanches.
The bulletin warns of winds tonight between 50-70mph, with even stronger winds coming in the days ahead.
As a reminder, always check the local avalanche bulletin, external before you head into steep snowy backcountry terrain.
Pandas at DC zoo play in the snowpublished at 22:53 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
22:53 GMT 6 January
Image source, Smithsonian National Zoo
A pair of pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park rolled and tumbled through piles of snow inside their outdoor habitat on Monday, a video posted, external on X shows.
Winter Storm Blair brought roughly five inches to the area, the zoo said, making it "paws-itively the panda *snowment* of our dreams".
The bears, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, are due to make their first public debut on 24 January.
They arrived in the US in October, having been loaned to the US from China as part of a decades-long tradition.
Image source, Smithsonian National Zoo
Thousands affected by flight delays and cancellationspublished at 22:34 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
22:34 GMT 6 January
More than 23,000 flights have been delayed in the US on Monday, according to flight tracker flightaware.com.
Another 2,048 flights have been cancelled.
The majority of the traveller headaches have stemmed from the Washington DC area, with 543 flights cancelled between the three main local airports (Washington Dulles International, Reagan National, and Baltimore/Washington International).
Those same three airports also lead the list for most flights cancelled by destination airport, meaning flights cancelled elsewhere that were scheduled to fly into DC.
One man told the Washington Post he had been stuck in Washington DC since Sunday after his flight that evening was cancelled and said he had no hope that his flight rescheduled for Monday evening would actually take off.
"I'm not expecting much," Davis Schaefer told the Post.
Where has Winter Storm Blair dumped the most snow?published at 21:51 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
21:51 GMT 6 January
At least six locations have now recorded a foot of snow, becoming members of what weather.com has dubbed the "The One Foot Club".
Those states include Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware and Indiana.
But Kansas is leading the pack.
Reports on Monday afternoon show a total of 18in (45cm) of snow in two areas of northern Kansas between Salina and Topeka, notes Jonathan Erdman, weather.com's senior meteorologist.
Body found outside a bus shelter as death toll rises from winter stormpublished at 21:16 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
21:16 GMT 6 January
The death toll from the severe winter conditions impacting parts of the US has risen to at least five people.
A man was found dead on Monday morning outside of a bus stop in the Houston, Texas area "due to cold weather", a spokesperson for the city's metro system confirmed to the BBC.
"The body was found directly in front of a bus shelter," Lester Gretsch, the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority's director of media relations, said.
This latest tragic death adds to the fatalities believed to be caused by Winter Storm Blair, which has brought inches of snow and sub-freezing temperatures to much of the US.
Earlier, we reported that there was at least one fatality in Missouri as the storm passed through. The state's highway patrol said a pedestrian was killed after a lorry, which had stopped to let a passenger out, began to slide on the roadway.
Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to calls for over 350 crashes and more than 1,000 stranded motorists as the winter storm barreled through.
Two people have died in a car crash in Kansas due to adverse weather, as well as a person in Virginia.
Police say a 32-year-old man died about midnight in Wakefield, Virginia, after his truck skidded off the road and hit a tree. Officials say he was driving too fast for roadway conditions and not wearing a seatbelt, and alcohol may have been a factor.
More than 265,000 US customers reportedly without powerpublished at 20:44 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
20:44 GMT 6 January
More than 265,000 customers in five US states are currently without power, according to the PowerOutage.us website.
Here's a state-by-state breakdown:
- Virginia - 77,894
- Kentucky - 62,601
- Indiana - 44,573
- West Virginia - 41,381
- Illinois - 39,151
PowerOutage didn't say whether all the outages were caused by the winter storm, however those states are in the area impacted.
In pictures: America blanketed with snow as major storm rages onpublished at 20:19 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
20:19 GMT 6 January
As a major winter storm continues to batter a number of US states, here's a selection of some of the most striking photos from the affected regions.
Image source, The Capital Journal/Reuters
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Watch: What causes a polar vortex?published at 19:31 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
19:31 GMT 6 January
Cold air is spilling out from a Polar Vortex, causing frosty temperatures in much of the US.
BBC's Ben Rich has put together this brief explanation of what the Polar Vortex is.
Snow in Washington disrupts businesses and daily lifepublished at 19:09 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
19:09 GMT 6 January
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Washington
Handwritten signs that say “delayed opening” or “closed due to storm” hang in storefront windows across DC.
Slushy sidewalks and ice-slicked streets have created hazardous conditions.
Though many local businesses are closed, for others the show must go on - like it or not.
“The streets suck. This city can do better,” one woman, who works at a local cannabis dispensary, told me.
She says her commute on the subway underground was fine but complained about the snowy trek on foot to open the doors.
“I had to shovel the sidewalk by myself,” she says, pointing to a black shovel leaned against a refrigerator.
Snow starts to coat New York Citypublished at 18:54 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January
18:54 GMT 6 January
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York
Here in Brooklyn, it's been snowing for the past three hours, collecting on the ground and city fire escapes.
We don't get many days of snow here in the city - and the light blanket does not rival the over six feet of snow that some parts of northern New York are experiencing.
Wind chill temperatures here have also been freezing for several days, with many New Yorkers bundling up in several layers and thick coats to brace for the winter weather.