Washington / New York – January 25, 2026. A historic winter storm sweeping across much of the United States has left more than 230,000 customers without power, triggered widespread states of emergency and forced the cancellation of over 13,000 flights nationwide over the weekend, according to FlightAware.

The massive system stretches more than 1,500 miles from Texas to the Northeast, threatening nearly 180 million people with heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and dangerously cold temperatures, the National Weather Service said.

President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for at least a dozen states, while 17 states and Washington, D.C., declared weather emergencies as conditions worsened.

Air travel has been severely disrupted, with major hubs such as Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and Washington Reagan National Airport reporting extensive cancellations. Aviation analysts noted that Sunday could mark the highest number of flight cancellations in a single day since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In southern states including Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, ice accumulation brought down trees and power lines, leaving entire communities in the dark. Officials warned that damage in ice-hit areas could rival the impact of a hurricane.

Forecasters cautioned that the storm’s effects will linger for days, as extreme cold slows recovery efforts. “Snow and ice will melt very slowly, making restoration work especially challenging,” the National Weather Service said.

Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads if possible, conserve energy and prepare for prolonged disruptions as one of the most powerful winter storms in years continues its path across the country.