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By Mandy Taheri
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Winter Storm Blair, named by the Weather Channel, is expected to bring heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice to parts of the central United States this weekend before moving into the mid-Atlantic region on Monday, while a polar vortex may bring the coldest January the country has experienced in a decade.
Newsweek reached out to the National Weather Service (NWS) for comment via email on Friday.
Why It Matters
The major winter storm is expected to make dangerous, "treacherous travel conditions" and result in widespread power outages for millions of Americans, according to the NWS.
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On top of that, cold temperatures from a polar vortex raise concerns about energy use and heat, potentially causing natural gas to spike. In addition, freezing temperatures pose heightened health risks for vulnerable populations, including young infants and elderly individuals.
The storm is set to hit over the weekend after a national holiday, potentially bottlenecking major airports across the country.
What Is a Polar Vortex?
The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a polar vortex as a "large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth's poles." It's a strong band of west-to-east winds forming in the stratosphere during winter, approximately 10 to 30 miles above the North Pole.
"Arctic outbreaks are often associated with a weakening of the Polar Vortex. When the Polar Vortex weakens, it allows the cold air contained in the Vortex to spill southward, instead of staying bottled up at the poles," NWS public affairs specialist and meteorologist Erica Grow Cei told Newsweek.
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The cold Arctic air is expected to bring temperatures below freezing across large swaths of the country, "as far south as the Gulf Coast and much of the Florida Peninsula," according to NOAA's Prediction Center's January 2 update. "Impacts to highly sensitive crops are possible," it warned.
AccuWeather research shared with Newsweek indicated that the intensity and reach of the Arctic air will increase during the first full week of January and persist through mid-month. At its peak, this frigid air is expected to impact over 250 million people across more than 40 states in the central and eastern U.S.
AccuWeather meteorologists predict that, while the cold air may not reach the most extreme levels experienced in the past 10 to 15 years, the prolonged duration of the frigid conditions could make this January the coldest in the U.S. since 2011.
Where Is Winter Storm Blair Forecast to Hit?
After moving off the Pacific coast, Winter Storm Blair is set to impact areas from the Central Plains, the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, and then the mid-Atlantic.
As of Friday, winter storm warnings related to Winter Storm Blair are in effect for parts of Montana and Kansas. Several states, including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana and Kentucky, are under winter storm watches. The watches begin Friday or Saturday in some areas and end Sunday night or Monday.
The storm is expected to bring at least 8 inches of snow in central Kansas and Indiana, with "significant sleet and freezing rain" anticipated from eastern Kansas to the Tennessee and lower Ohio valleys, as well as the southern Appalachians, according to NWS.
What To Know
While Winter Storm Blair and the polar vortex are not the same, they are expected to overlap, potentially intensifying and causing more extreme conditions, particularly ice and sleet.
Per the NWS, cities most at risk from "significant" icing included those in southeast Kansas, south Missouri, south Illinois, Kentucky, south Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia.
What People Are Saying
Meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday night: "Sunday and Monday will be a brutal mess for huge population in bunch of big cities. Heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain may surprise folks in how fast it's falling and accumulating with cold temps in the 20s. Try to travel Fri/Sat, or wait until Tues."
The Weather Channel, on X on Friday: "Blair will bring a cross-country mess of winter weather through the weekend."
In a media advisory shared with Newsweek, AccuWeather said: "The frigid temperatures will likely trigger a surge in heating demand across the eastern half of the United States. The bitterly cold air could also impact natural gas drilling and operations in the Marcellus Shale region of the Northeast."
What Happens Next
The NWS winter storm forecast is currently for Saturday, January 4 to Monday, January 6. Forecasts are subject to change. The NWS updates its forecasts regularly.
Updated 1/3/25, 2:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Erica Grow Cei and additional information.
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