The 12 cities that will see ‘catastrophic’ damage by crippling US winter storm: Live updates

The storm, expected to begin Friday and last through Monday, is forecast to drop a foot or more of snow and catastrophic amounts of ice along its 1,500-mile path.

Texas and Oklahoma are among the first states expected to be hit by the storm, which could create dangerous road conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm and potentially around a foot of snow from Oklahoma through Washington, DC, New York and Boston over the weekend.

Here are the top 12 US cities set to be hit hardest by the impending winter storm, according to the Washington Post.

• Oklahoma City
• Dallas/Fort Worth
• Little Rock
• Tupelo, Mississippi
• Nashville
• Cincinnati
• Pittsburgh
• Charlotte
• Richmond
• Washington, DC
• New York
• Boston

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation posted a helpful yet hilarious warning about the winter storm.

‘In preparation for the winter storm, let’s review,’ the department advised. ‘Drip your faucets. Get your windshield scraper ready.’

The department then cheekily warned that it is not necessary to let animals into your homes.

‘THEY HAVE FUR. DON’T BRING THEM INSIDE,’ the department wrote, along with a picture of a snow-covered bison.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt activated the National Guard to help with the treacherous roadways in anticipation of the winter storm.

‘@GovStitt has authorized the activation and deployment of #OKGuard Stranded Motorists Assistance and Recovery Teams following a request by @okem in preparation for severe winter weather beginning today and lasting into the weekend,’ the state national guard wrote on X.

‘Guardsmen are being dispatched to Woodward, Weatherford, Ardmore, Vinita, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Durant where they will support the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in recovering and transporting stranded motorists to safety as directed by @OHPDPS.’

PJM Interconnected – the nation’s largest regional transmission organization – issued multiple alerts on Thursday warning of the power grid strain from the impending storm, WNEP reported.

‘This is a formidable arctic cold front coming our way, and it will impact our neighboring systems as much as it affects PJM,’ Senior Vice President of Operations Mike Bryson said.

‘We will be relying on our generation fleet to perform as well as they did during last year’s record winter peak.’

The supplier serves 67 million customers in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC.

Natural gas prices have soared over 60 percent due to the winter storm forecast, NBC News reported.

Demand for natural gas is set to surge because it is the most common way Americans heat their homes, driving prices higher.

‘Everybody is racing to their thermostat to crank up the heat all at once – there’s just a tremendous demand pull that happens,’ said Eli Rubin, a senior energy analyst at EBW AnalyticsGroup.

Rubin explained that households won’t feel the price increase immediately, but that the costs will eventually trickle down into their energy bills.

‘What happens with these huge price increases is that they’re absorbed slowly,’ Rubin said.

‘State regulatory commissions and your local utilities are not going to suddenly double the rate you’re paying for natural gas overnight – but you will be paying. They’re going to phase it in over time.’

Ted Cruz has once again become the subject of ruthless internet derision after he was spotted on a plane to California on Tuesday as a monster storm bears down.

A massive snowstorm is expected to blanket states across the country, including the Texas senator’s home state, where forecasters are predicting lows in the 10s on Saturday and Sunday night.

The Texas grid is vulnerable to the cold and lacks the gas supplies to cop when temperatures plunge. This was the case in 2021 when a deadly winter storm struck while Cruz was on vacation in Cancun.

As a potentially historic winter storm prepares to slam the US, meteorologists have warned that conditions could become so brutal that trees could start exploding.

Meteorologist Max Velocity said this week temperatures in the Midwest and Northern Plains are predicted to fall to 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit on Friday and Saturday, freezing the insides of local trees.

The phenomenon known as ‘frost cracking’ can literally cause trees to burst from the inside out as sap and water freeze and expand, building pressure against the bark.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly joined the growing number of leaders declaring a state of emergency ahead of the winter storm on Friday.

‘The current forecast for much of the state calls for frigid temperatures accompanied by snow and wind gusts,’ Kelly said in a press release.

‘I urge everyone to be prepared. Stay inside as much as possible and avoid travel if you can. Make sure your home emergency kit is stocked and if you must travel, be sure your car emergency kit is ready.’

Thousands of flights across the United States have been canceled this weekend in anticipation of the winter storm.

As of 9.45am ET on Friday, over 1,200 flights within, into or out of the country have been canceled or delayed, according to FlightAware.

Airlines have already canceled 1,462 flights within, into or out of the US on Saturday.

In North Carolina, Guilford Metro 911 officials have issued a warning to residents to use emergency services appropriately, WFMY reported.

‘The emergency is in your eyes,’ said Breanna Edwards, an assistant supervisor at Guilford Metro 911.

‘However, if there’s any danger present, if you are hurt in any way, those are definitely 911 scenarios – trees down, lines down, fire hazards, anything of that nature.’

Officials said that not every weather-related issue requires a 911 call, and reminded drivers that vehicles on the side of the road marked with yellow or caution tape have already been flagged to emergency crews.

‘Even abandoned cars – people have wrecked and left because they can’t get out,’ one dispatcher told the local news station.

‘The options are endless, but it’s on top of our regularly scheduled calls as well.’

Officials asked for patience as crews respond during the storm.

‘We’re gonna be out and about in it, but we may be a little taxed and a little bit slower to respond,’ said Scott Muthersbaugh with Guilford County EMS.

‘We’re gonna be to you as quickly and as safely as we can.’

Travelers across the US have been put on high alert as major airlines issued warnings and announced possible flight cancellations ahead of Winter Storm Fern.

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, four of the nation’s largest carriers, all warned passengers to expect major disruptions as the storm moves from the central US into the Northeast.

Energy experts have warned that the impending winter storm may cause widespread blackouts and power grid outages across the country.

‘When you get one day of cold weather, it’s not as significant. But we’re talking about three or four days here of very low temperatures,’ Douglas Giuffre, who leads US power and renewables research for S&P Global Energy, told The New York Times.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that the Trump administration has ordered grid operators across the country to have backup generators at data centers and ‘other major facilities’ available to help prevent blackouts.

‘We’re going to do everything we can to keep the lights on and to keep power prices down [during the storm], Wright said.

This weekend’s storm comes five years after a winter storm in Texas left millions without power for days in freezing temperatures.