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By Joe Edwards
Reporter
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With a major winter storm poised to strike the United States beginning Friday, Americans are being advised to take steps to prepare.
“A significant winter storm is expected to threaten over 170 million Americans with widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to New England through Monday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said Friday. “Extremely cold air will follow, prolonging dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts into next week.”
According to the WPC, heavy snow is forecast across a broad region stretching from the Southern Rockies and Plains through the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, with snowfall totals in some areas expected to surpass one foot.
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Widespread sleet and freezing rain are expected to affect parts of the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, Southeast, and Mid‑Atlantic, with forecasters warning of long‑duration power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely dangerous travel conditions.
"This is a rare high-impact event—potentially the worst in decades," meteorologist Dylan Federico said on Tuesday.
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“In wake of the storm, communities from the Southern Plains to the Northeast will contend with bitterly cold temperatures,” said the WPC. "This will prolong hazardous travel and infrastructure impacts into next week. Preparations should be completed immediately.”
Plunging temperatures present the risk of frozen pipes, potentially cutting the water supply. Filling a bathtub with water provides a source of clean water for bathing, cleaning and flushing toilets, according to a recent article from Tom’s Guide.
It also provides a “critical volume” of water before a winter storm hits and potentially impacts piping, the outlet said.
American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., issued tips on Friday for avoiding frozen pipes amid the impending winter storm, including eliminating sources of cold air near water lines, fixing drafty windows, wrapping pipes in insulation, and plugging drafts around doors.
In New York, the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services warned on Thursday that “’feels-like’ temperatures ranging from 0 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit are expected this weekend, especially at night,” advising residents to prepare their homes and take the following steps to avoid frozen pipes:
- Open cabinet doors to circulate warmer air around plumbing.
- Let cold water drip from the faucet at a trickle.
- Raise your temperature and don’t set it below 55 F.
Winter storm warnings from the NWS were in effect for at least 19 states early Friday, Newsweek previously reported.
These are issued by the agency when “a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent.”
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