The Trump administration “is closely monitoring” the winter storm forecast to affect the eastern half of the United States, a White House official said Friday afternoon.
The official noted in a statement to reporters that President Donald Trump is receiving briefings on the forecast and is in dialogue with officials.
“The President is being briefed throughout the day and is in close contact with officials,” the White House official said. “The entire Trump Administration is closely monitoring the anticipated weather and is undertaking a whole-of-government approach to respond as appropriate.”
As the Associated Press reported:
The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the South, potentially around a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C., New York and Boston, and then a final punch of bitterly cold air that could drop wind chills to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 46 Celsius) in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Forecasters are warning the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival a hurricane. About 160 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.
Cold air streaming down from Canada caused Chicago Public Schools and Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa to cancel classes Friday. Wind chills predicted to be as low as minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 37 Celsius) could cause frostbite within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.
According to AccuWeather, the severe weather could cause power outages for one million customers:
During this weekend’s winter storm, ice may continue to accumulate on trees and power lines for more than 24 hours, causing widespread, lengthy power outages. About 60 million people will experience some icing conditions, with potentially 1 million without power for an extended time.
One-quarter of an inch of freezing rain is all it takes for power outages to begin, based on the weight on tree limbs and power lines. This zone is forecast to extend from near San Angelo, Texas, to east of Raleigh, North Carolina. Areas that have a potential for the glaze of half of an inch to 1 inch include northeastern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, northern and central Mississippi, parts of northern Alabama, northern Georgia and upstate South Carolina.
“Some of the power outages associated primarily with a buildup of ice affecting utility customers will last a few days or more, meaning many of the same population will be without heat as Arctic air charges in behind the storm,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.
Over 2,000 flights have been canceled as of Friday afternoon, per AccuWeather.
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