More than half of US facing winter storm. See the latest maps

More than half of US facing winter storm. See the latest maps

Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

Thu, January 22, 2026 at 10:22 PM UTC

1 min read

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Much of the nation east of the Rocky Mountains is bracing for what could be the worst winter storm of the season − followed by some of the coldest temperatures seen in years.

For many on Jan. 22, especially in the southern half of the country, that meant trips to the grocery store and p r epping homes and businesses for what's to come.

More than 175 million people were under some kind of severe winter weather messaging from the National Weather Service, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center. The messages include warnings and watches for winter storms and extreme cold, including heavy snow, freezing rain, sleet and double-digit subzero temperatures.

These maps show the extent of what meteorologists are forecasting through Jan. 25:

Which areas face the greatest risk of snow and ice?

The darkest red areas on this map illustrate the areas likely to receive at least moderate impacts from the snow and ice through Jan. 26.

Chances for at least moderate snow and ice impacts spread across much of the nation, putting more than 175 million people at risk for some type of winter hazards through Sunday, Jan. 26, according to the National Weather Service.

A swath of bright blue shows the extent of snow expected to fall across the U.S. through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service, while the red indicates the area where freezing rain is expected to cause the most hazards.

Warnings, watches and advisories across the nation

More than 175 million people are under at least one kind of winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service and its Weather Prediction Center as more than half the nation braces for a winter storm that will begin arriving in the west on Friday afternoon.

Extreme wind chill values

Subzero temperatures are likely for much of the northern half of the nation, with the coldest temperatures in the upper Midwest and in northern New England.

Wind chill values – what the temperature feels like – are forecast to drop to incredible lows as the storm moves across the nation, as low as 50 degrees below zero in the darkest pink areas.

Snowfall forecast

The weather service is calling for widespread snowfall of 5 to 15 inches, with isolated amounts of 18 inches or more at some of the higher elevations.

This forecast for expected snowfall through the weekend shows the extent and amount of snow expected through the weekend.

Freezing rain to accumulate through Jan. 25

Ice accumulation is a major concern going into the winter storm and this National Weather Service map shows the areas most at risk along two corridors. The weight of ice causes problems for trees and power lines and creates dangerous travel conditions, said Brian Hurley, meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center.

More: A look at some of the biggest snowstorms as winter storm set to hit US

Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow storm: See the latest forecast maps as nation braces

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