Overview
- Tens of millions remain under cold alerts as a deep Arctic air mass keeps temperatures well below normal across the eastern U.S., with another surge of frigid air expected Friday into Saturday and daily record lows possible.
- Power restoration continues after widespread outages that peaked in the hundreds of thousands, and travel remains vulnerable following thousands of flight disruptions during the first storm’s passage.
- At least 51 storm-related deaths have been reported across multiple states, according to NBC News, with causes ranging from hypothermia to accidents on snow- and ice-covered roads.
- The National Weather Service says confidence has increased for an East Coast storm from Friday night through Sunday, with the Weather Prediction Center highlighting chances for snow or sleet from South Carolina to Maine and possible high winds and coastal flooding.
- Some private and independent forecasters caution the system could rapidly intensify offshore, but they stress that snowfall totals and the rain–snow line will hinge on small track shifts; separately, the UK’s Storm Chandra set January rainfall records, triggered severe flood warnings and prompted fresh ice alerts.