Winter weather Jan. 6, 2025: Heavy snow and ice create deadly roadways across the U.S.
Residents in the Virginia state capital have been boiling water and going without showers for most of the week due to a storm-caused malfunction at the treatment plant. They say the Richmond infrastructure needs an upgrade. (AP video: Allen Breed)
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A huge swath of the U.S. was blasted with ice, snow and wind on Monday as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in its frigid grip, making many roads treacherous, forcing school closures, and causing widespread power outages and flight cancellations.
What we’re following today:
- Latest forecasts: The eastern two-thirds of the U.S. is experiencing dangerous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below normal.
- School closings: 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.
- Dangerous road conditions: As of mid-morning Monday, there were over 250 crashes and 270 reports of vehicles sliding off roadways in Indiana alone. Similar numbers were reported in Virginia.
- Flight delays: The storm has caused thousands of flights to be canceled or delayed, especially around the nation’s capital.
A third person has died in a storm-related traffic accident
A fatal accident in North Carolina is being blamed on the winter storm that’s moving through the East Coast.
Police in Winston-Salem say a vehicle lost control on an icy overpass along U.S. Route 52 and hit several trees early Monday. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
At least two other people have died in weather-related traffic accidents in Virginia and West Virginia. The accidents were among hundreds reported across Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.
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President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump arrived at the Capitol together Monday for the inauguration after a preinaugural tea at the White House.
Roads are still treacherous in Kansas, governor says
The Kansas Highway Patrol has reported nearly 200 crashes from Saturday morning through Monday morning, two of them deadly.
On Saturday, a tractor-trailer jackknifed in the ice in the western part of the state, killing a pickup truck’s driver. And two others died Sunday when an SUV rolled down an embankment in Wichita.
Gov. Laura Kelly closed state offices in the Topeka area through Tuesday, and many school districts followed suit.
“Although crews are making progress, the roads remain hazardous,” Kelly said in a news release.
Winter storm blamed for boil-water advisory in Virginia’s capital
A weather-related power outage has caused a malfunction in the water system of Virginia’s capital city, officials said Monday afternoon.
Richmond officials asked citizens in the city of more than 200,000 people to refrain from drinking tap water or washing dishes and brushing their teeth without boiling the water first. The city also asked residents to conserve their water.
City officials said they’re working around the clock to bring the system back online.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our residents and neighbors,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a news release.