Five dead as killer snow storms grip America and maps show where polar vortex is heading next

Published: 09:23 GMT, 7 January 2025 | Updated: 11:10 GMT, 7 January 2025

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At least five people have died in a bitter winter storm sweeping parts of the United States as seven states declared emergencies, closed schools and cancelled flights.

Two people in their 20s were killed when their vehicle rolled down an embankment in Kansas.

Separately, a man's body was found at a bus shelter in Houston. He is believed to have died from the cold, Sky News reports.

The immense storm sweeping the nation is set to envelop the southern US today, affecting areas that usually avoid winter's wrath, including Florida and Dallas.

Temperatures are forecast to dip into the teens to low-20s from Texas across the Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service.

A low-pressure system is then expected to form tomorrow near south Texas and could bring snow to Dallas, as well as to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Around 190,000 people from Maryland to Missouri woke up without power on Tuesday as the storm made its way across the country, according to poweroutage.us.

Nearly a third of those affected were in Virginia, where up to a foot of snow was recorded. Icy conditions are expected to affect a swathe of the country for weeks.

The polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in its frigid grip yesterday.

Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip over swathes of the US.

Grey clouds indicate ice clouds, while blue shows liquid water clouds such as fog and stratus over the US early on January 7, 2025

Heavy snow falls as a person walks along U.S. Route 42 in Florence, Ky., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025

People walk next to a snowman near the U.S. Capitol as a winter storm brought snow, on Mon

Ice and snow blanketed major roads in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 45 mph.

The warnings extended to New Jersey into early Tuesday.

A Kentucky truck stop was jammed with big rigs forced off an icy and snow-covered Interstate 75 on Monday just outside Cincinnati.

A long haul driver from Los Angeles carrying a load of rugs to Georgia, Michael Taylor said he saw numerous cars and trucks stuck in ditches and was dealing with icy windshield wipers before he pulled off the interstate.

'It was too dangerous. I didn´t want to kill myself or anyone else,' he said.

The eastern two-thirds of the US dealt with bone-chilling cold and wind chills Monday, with temperatures in some areas far below normal.

In Missouri, a man suffered a fatal injury while removing snow, NBC reports.

Reuters reports that a man also died in southeast Virginia when he lost control of his pick-up truck. Police cited alcohol and weather as factors in the crash.

A cold weather advisory will take effect early Tuesday across the Gulf Coast. In Texas' capital of Austin and surrounding cities, wind chills could drop as low as 15 degrees (minus 9.4 C).

The Northeast was expected to get several cold days.

Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit.

Virginia State Police responded to at least 430 crashes Sunday and Monday, including one that was fatal.

A person walks his dog near the Capitol during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday

Workers clear the plaza at the Capitol as snow falls in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025

People engage in a snowball fight as U.S. flags, along the base of the Washington Monument, fly at half-staff in memorial to former President Jimmy Carter, in Washington, Monday

Police said other weather-related fatal accidents occurred Sunday near Charleston, West Virginia, and Monday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Kansas saw two deadly crashes over the weekend.

Deep freeze moves across US as 63 million people face bone-chilling temps and major snowfall

More than 2,300 flights were canceled and at least 9,100 more were delayed nationwide as of Monday night, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported that about 58 per cent of arrivals and 70 per cent of departures had been canceled.

A record 8 inches (more than 20 centimeters) of snow fell Sunday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, leading to dozens of flight cancellations that lingered into Monday.

About 4 inches (about 10 centimeters) fell Monday across the Cincinnati area, where car and truck crashes shut at least two major routes leading into downtown.

In Indiana, snow covered stretches of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and US Route 41, leading authorities to plead with people to stay home.

'It's snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,' State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle said.

A person holds an umbrella as they walk during a winter storm, January 6, 2025, in Cincinnati

Snow covers homes during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Cincinnati

Law enforcement officers stand guard at the Capitol as snow falls in Washington, Monday

The Mid-Atlantic region had been forecast to get another 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of snow on Monday.

Dangerously cold temperatures were expected to follow, with nighttime lows falling into the single digits (below minus 12.7 C) through the middle of the week across the Central Plains and into the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

In North Texas, 2 to 5 inches (about 5 to 13 centimeters) of snow was expected beginning Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow could also hit Oklahoma and Arkansas, with some parts potentially getting more than 4 inches (about 10 centimeters).

School closings were widespread, with districts in Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas canceling or delaying the start of classes Monday.

Among them was Kentucky´s Jefferson County Public Schools, which canceled classes and other school activities for its nearly 100,000 students.

Classes were also canceled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced that state government offices would also be closed Monday.

Government offices also were closed Monday in Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency.

Snow covers vehicles parked at the Helix Garage in downtown Lexington, Ky., on Monday

A pedestrian makes their way though a tunnel along the snow-covered Monon Trail in Carmel, Ind., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025

A runner makes his way through a snow-covered street in Indianapolis, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025

Many were in the dark as temperatures plunged. More than 218,000 customers were without power Monday night across Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.

In Virginia's capital city, a power outage caused a temporary malfunction in the water system, officials said Monday afternoon.

Richmond officials asked those in the city of more than 200,000 people to refrain from drinking tap water or washing dishes without boiling the water first.

The city also asked people to conserve their water, such as by taking shorter showers.

City officials said they were working nonstop to bring the system back online.

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