Another winter storm now threatens a large swath of Central and Eastern U.S.

February 2nd, 2022

People walk on Boston Common after Winter Storm Kenan on January 30 in Boston, Mass. A powerful noreaster last weekend brought blinding blizzard conditions with high winds causing widespread power outages to much of the Mid-Atlantic and New England coast. The storm dropped over 30 inches in some areas of the state.
Scott Eisen / Scott Eisen

People are bracing for the second bout of winter weather within a week, and this time around, a lot more states are expected to be affected.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings from Texas counties near the Mexican border stretching northeast to the Great Lakes and along the Canadian border. A National Weather Service map shows a winter storm warning extending to the northern tip of Maine.

As many as 14 inches of snow could fall on parts of Illinois and Indiana on Wednesday, and the precipitation could continue into Thursday. As of midnight, 1.5 inches of snow had already been recorded at Chicago Midway International Airport.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is expected to brief the public about the response in his state Wednesday morning. In neighboring Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a disaster proclamation and said he’d activate more than 100 members of the Illinois National Guard. The Illinois Department of Transportation told people to stay home, warning of as many as 20 inches of snow before the storm ends.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a disaster declaration that he said would enable “emergency management professionals to have every tool and resource available to aid Missourians, protect lives, and respond to this winter storm.”

“Severe winter weather isn’t something we are strangers to,” he said in a written statement. “But we must be prepared for the worst.”

Cold temperatures are expected to follow the precipitation, particularly across the Plains. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to be 15-25 degrees colder than average. The cold could lead to prolonged icing.

In Texas, the National Weather Service said the winter storm warning would begin later Wednesday. A half an inch of ice and and as much as two inches of ice and sleet could land in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.

Last February, a winter storm there with record cold temperatures left millions of people without power for days. Water treatment plants closed, forcing people to boil water.

The winter storm is expected to reach the Northeast Thursday. A storm there last weekend left thousands of people without power, which has been restored.