Winter Storm Blair: A massive snowstorm hits most of the United States

Christmas might be over, but the snow is here to stay. After going through what experts call the warmest winter ever reported, winter storm Blair hits large parts of US territory.

Al Jazeera writes that, so far, over 60 million US people are under weather alerts in an area that goes from the Mid-Atlantic to the Central Plains.

AP News writes that strong snow and ice storms, followed by icy conditions, have affected large portions of eastern and central US territory.

Newsweek explains that this comes after snow falling hit a 20-year-low in many US states, although it affected different regions unevenly.

Al Jazeera writes that Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas and parts of New Jersey have declared a state of emergency.

The US capital was one of the major cities blanketed by heavy snow, as Washington prepares for the inauguration of Donald Trump.

The BBC writes that, by Monday, over 2,500 flights had been cancelled and more than 6,000 had been delayed. Roads have been blocked in several states due to the heavy snow.

Meanwhile, AP News reports that over 250,000 people were without power across Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri. This also has affected the water system in some cities.

AP News writes that the polar vortex would potentially hit US territory that generally is not affected by snow. Mainly southern states such as Florida.

Blair could go as far as Texas, causing damage into a region unequipped to properly deal with lower temperatures.

The BBC highlights that the Gulf of Mexico could also experience very low temperatures.

“It’s going to be a mess, a potential disaster,” said private meteorologist Ryan Maue to The Guardian. “This is something we haven’t seen in quite a while.”

The BBC informs that so far Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia were the most affected, with Kansas City, Missouri, witnessing its heaviest snowfall in over 30 years.

According to Newsweek, a polar vortex is a stream of cold air that usually spins around the Arctic Circle. However, the vortex can shift and expand, moving lower temperature further south than usual.

The BBC writes that, back in 2022, a powerful Arctic winter storm hit the United States, leaving 1.5 million homes without electricity.

With climate change becoming more of a problem, it's likely that weather will increasingly become more unpredictable.