Live updates: Dangerous winter storm blasting America with heavy snow and crippling ice
The highly anticipated 2,300-mile-long historic winter storm is now underway, canceling flights, forcing schools to close, and knocking out power to thousands of Americans.
Winter weather alerts span from the Desert Southwest all the way to Maine.
Snow, freezing rain, and sleet are now slicing across America's Heartland on a 2,300+ mile journey toward the East Coast. More than 190 million people are under some type of winter weather alert, breaking the record for the most number of U.S. counties simultaneously under a Winter Storm Warning. Stay here throughout the day for the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute weather news as the storm treks east.
Power outage tracker showing 18,000 customers without power in Texas. (PowerOutage.com)
FOX Weather is closely monitoring power outages as this massive winter storm sweeps across the nation. Right now, PowerOutage.com reports more than 18,000 energy customers are without power in Texas.
Chart showing the top snow totals from Kansas as of 6 a.m. ET Saturday.
America's massive winter storm is still in its early stages and millions of people will see snow and ice in the next two days.
As of 6 a.m. ET Saturday, Kansas has seen the most snow so far. 6 inches of snow has already been reported near Hays, KS.
Arkansas Department of Transportation camera along Interstate 40 at mile marker 151.
More than 4" of snow has been reported in and around Little Rock, Arkansas this morning. ARDOT cameras show snow-covered roads in the city and throughout central Arkansas.
It's not a great weekend for those taking to the skies. America's colossal winter storm has now forced airlines to cancel more than 10,000 U.S. flights through Monday. If you are planning to fly, double check with your airline to see if your flight is scheduled to takeoff as scheduled. Most of the nation's major air carriers issued travel waivers ahead of the storm, allowing customers to change their flight without paying a change fee.
Estimated snow amounts over the past 24 hours in and around Oklahoma City.
Oklahomans are waking up to less snow than expected this morning. Radar estimates only a few inches of snow have fallen overnight in the OKC metro area, less than what was predicted.
The FOX Forecast Center explains suppression is to blame. Frigid air moving in at the surface overwhelmed and suppressed the milder, moist air flowing in above it. This essentially cutoff the firehose of moisture from reaching central Oklahoma.
Forecasters caution that people shouldn't think it's over. A second round of heavier snow is expected to hit the Sooner State later tonight into early Sunday. And things will be different this time around with a more classic winter storm setup allowing for heftier snow totals.
Radar image showing heavy rain and thunderstorms moving into Houston.
While millions of Americans are dealing with the threat of snow and ice, the southern end of this massive storm is producing a different threat: flash flooding. Right now, the FOX Forecast Center is closely monitoring a cluster of thunderstorms that has developed near the Houston metro area. These storms are producing very heavy rain as they approach Houston. Some localized flash flooding could occur as these storms drop up to an inch of rain an hour in some spots.
OKTRAFFIC.ORG camera showing snow covering Interstate 35.
Snow is covering the ground this morning in Oklahoma City. An image from OKTRAFFIC.ORG shows snow partially covering I-35 at this hour.
Top flight cancellations by airport over the next two days. (FlightAware)
With Dallas Fort Worth International Airport dealing with dangerous freezing rain and sleet this weekend, airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights. The latest data from FlightAware shows more than 70% of DFW's schedule has been canceled over the next two days.
Latest FlightAware MiseryMap showing significant flight disruptions across America.
Big travel trouble for weekend fliers - FlightAware reports more than 14,800 U.S. flights have now been disrupted by the storm. That number includes nearly 10,000 canceled flights and 5,000 others that have been delayed.
Latest power outage tracker showing current outages in Texas. (Poweroutage.com)
Overnight snow and ice have triggered power outages in parts of the Lone Star State. As of 4 a.m. CT Saturday, more than 18,000 customers were without power.
Latest radar image showing snow, freezing rain, and sleet across America's Heartland.
An early morning look at radar shows our winter storm ramping up across the Heartland. Snow is falling from Kansas City to Little Rock, with freezing rain and sleet reported near Dallas. Conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the morning in these areas as snow and ice build up.
You can go back and see how the forecast for this winter storm has evolved with our live coverage from Friday.
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