A wide-reaching winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow and closed major highways in parts of the Midwest as it continued its trek eastward Monday. In parts of the Great Plains, snow totals exceeded anything that’s been seen in decades. At least three fatalities were reported in two traffic incidents in the Midwest.
The storm is producing wintry precipitation across a distance of about 1,000 miles – from central Missouri to Delaware – creating hazardous conditions for millions of people as many locations experience their biggest snowstorm in years. More than 12 inches fell in Kansas, Missouri was experiencing blizzard conditions, and in the Mid-Atlantic, roads were slick and dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power from Missouri to Virginia – with more heavy impacts still expected in the storm’s path.
Early Monday, the worst of the storm was reaching the Mid-Atlantic, with heavy snow in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Up to a foot of total snow is possible in what could become the biggest snowstorm since at least January 2022, if not January 2019. Over central and southern Virginia, freezing rain was falling Monday morning.
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The forecast for key cities
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Washington, D.C.
Winter storm impact rating: 8 out of 10
The morning commute will be particularly treacherous. Snow will fall heavily until late morning, when it will decrease in intensity until late afternoon. This will give road crews an opportunity to get ahead of the storm, and children an opportunity to go outside and make a snowman. But a burst of moderate snow will redevelop during the late afternoon or evening hours, covering areas that had previously been plowed or shoveled. Snow will end around midnight as temperatures dip into the teens. Total snowfall will range from 6 to 12 inches, with the highest amounts probably just south of the city. Dry but cold and windy weather is expected from Tuesday through Friday.
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Baltimore
Winter storm impact rating: 7 out of 10
Expect a very slippery morning commute. Heavy snow will turn lighter by around midday. Light snow during the afternoon will become steadier again by evening, leading to a fresh covering up to an inch or so, before ending around midnight. Storm total snowfall will range from 6 to 8 inches, with the highest amounts occurring south of town. Dry but cold and windy weather is expected from Tuesday through Friday.
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Richmond
Winter storm impact rating: 6 out of 10
A wintry mix in the Richmond area will make travel difficult, especially Monday morning. Sleet and freezing rain early in the day is expected to transition to rain around midday as the temperature rises above freezing. This will melt away some of the 2 to 4 inches of snow that fell in the Richmond area Sunday night and early Monday. A second surge of snow is expected Monday evening, dropping another 1 to 3 inches and setting the stage for a slippery commute Tuesday. The weather will be chilly but dry from Tuesday through Friday.
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Philadelphia
Winter storm impact rating: 5 out of 10
Snow will arrive during the morning commute, creating a bigger overall impact. The intensity of the snow will be moderate by midmorning and continue that way until early afternoon. Periods of light snow are expected during the afternoon and evening before ending. Storm total snowfall will range from 2 to 4 inches, with higher amounts to the south of the city. Dry but cold and windy weather is expected from Tuesday through Friday.
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New York/New Jersey
Winter storm impact rating: 1 out of 10
New York/New Jersey will be on the northern edge of the storm. While some snow will probably fall, it isn’t a guarantee. Snow may begin during the midmorning hours and fall lightly through the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will be near freezing, so snow may have a difficult time sticking to well traveled roads. The flakes will contribute to a wintry mood, but not much else. Cold, dry and windy weather is expected throughout the rest of the week.
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Storm updates and impacts
The winter storm led to at least three fatalities as it swept from the Midwest toward the East. In Wichita, Kansas, an SUV flipped over and rolled multiple times Sunday, ejecting and killing its two occupants. In Jackson County, Missouri, on Sunday, a dump truck slid and killed a 61-year-old pedestrian.
More than 300,000 customers were without power Monday in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia – with more than 100,000 outages in Virginia alone, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
Nearly 1,700 flights tied to the United States have been canceled, with an additional 2,654 flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flights around the world. The D.C. area airports have been the hardest hit in the nation so far, FlightAware data showed. Nearly two-thirds of the flights scheduled to depart Reagan National Airport have been canceled while almost half that were supposed to land there were nixed. Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport were faring just slightly better, with at least a quarter of departing flights and 35 percent of arriving flights canceled at each.
A number of communities in the Midwest rivaled or set records for their greatest single-day snow totals. In Chapman, Kansas, just northeast of the state’s center, 18 inches was recorded on Sunday. That’s the greatest single-day total on record, with data dating back to 1904. At Kansas City International Airport, the 11 inches that came down Sunday was the fourth-greatest single-day total. The airport was just 0.8 inches away from coming in second place.
Snow totals across the Great Plains have been exceptional, in many cases exceeding anything that’s been seen in decades. Other snowfall totals included 16 inches in St. Joseph, Missouri; 12.7 inches west of St. Louis, in the town of Weldon Springs; and 10 inches in Mackeysville, West Virginia.
On slick roads across the Midwest, including in Missouri, Illinois and Ohio, some cars and trucks were stuck or sliding off highways while others trudged through thoroughfares painted with snow and ice.
In the D.C. area, school closings were widespread, and federal offices are closed with a snow emergency declared. Across the Mid-Atlantic, the storm will cause dangerous commuting conditions, with the storm’s intensity early Monday possibly creating a challenge for road crews to keep up with.
Although the pace of the snow will slow Monday afternoon, conditions will remain slippery, with freezing temperatures. A final burst of snow is expected during the evening hours.
On the warm, southern side of the storm, tornadoes were reported in Arkansas and Mississippi on Sunday.
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How long will this storm last?
By Tuesday morning, the storm will be hundreds of miles off of the East Coast. By Wednesday, the system will usher cold, Canadian air into Bermuda.
For much of the rest of the week, storm-affected areas in the Plains, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic will experience frigid temperatures and gusty winds, which will keep snowpack deep in some places for numerous days.
Temperatures may dip below zero as far south as Virginia, with some of the lowest temperatures occurring in areas that have a fresh snow pack.
Deep, freshly fallen snow reflects sunlight and traps cold air near the surface, intensifying and prolonging frigid conditions.
Closer to the Great Lakes, lake-effect snow showers and flurries are forecast through Thursday. Over 5 feet of lake-effect snow has fallen since late last week.
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Another storm ahead?
Attention will quickly turn to the next possible storm, which is forecast to develop over Texas on Wednesday night.
A large area of spin in the upper atmosphere will gather over the Southwest, becoming cut off from the normal west to east flow that carries weather systems across the country.
This disturbance is expected to spawn a broad area of wintry precipitation in northern and western Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas and Missouri on Thursday and Thursday night.
While the finer details will become clearer over the next few days, cities that may be impacted include Dallas-Fort Worth, Lubbock and Amarillo in Texas; Albuquerque; Oklahoma City and Tulsa; Wichita; Kansas City, Missouri; and Little Rock.
There is some chance that additional snow may fall in the DMV and Mid-Atlantic during the upcoming weekend, but much uncertainty remains. If all the ingredients come together, there are some signs the system will continue to move eastward Friday and Saturday, possibly bringing more snow and ice to areas that have been affected by the current winter storm. The system could shift northeast over the Mid-South by Friday and perhaps the Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic and toward coastal New England into the weekend.
(c) 2025, The Washington Post · Ben Noll, Kasha Patel, Matthew Cappucci