TRANSCRIPT
The first major snowstorm of 2025 is wreaking havoc across the United States, with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Centre saying parts of the country could see the heaviest snowfall in over a decade.
Nearly 70 million people are under storm warnings with blizzard conditions, heavy snow, treacherous ice and freezing rain expected through Monday that could cause power outages from Missouri to the mid-Atlantic.
Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner is urging residents to stay off the roads.
"I'm on I-135. We're north of McPherson, south of the rest area, though, McPherson County, we have a semi that's rolled over. It's in the lanes of travel driving lane and all the motorists are moving slowly through this space. They're moving too fast, though. But we're just checking in here real quick. What I want to show you, though, is that this roadway is very slick... And it's not getting any better. It's getting worse. So get off the roads. Don't be on them."
According to the Winter Storm Severity Index, major disruptions, including dangerous travel, widespread closures, and severe daily life impacts, are expected in parts of the Central U-S.
More than 1,400 flights have been canceled so far, a frustrating end to the holiday travel season.
Kansas City International Airport saw 283 cancellations, St Louis Lambert International 278, and Dallas Fort Worth 185.
Other affected hubs include Chicago O'Hare and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airports, with over 739 flights already cancelled for Monday, particularly in Washington D-C, where the storm struck just as Congress was scheduled to return to certify the November election.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the U-K, Ireland and Germany.
A UK weather forecaster predicts more snow could fall across parts of Britain following heavy snow and freezing rain that caused widespread disruption on Sunday.
Rural communities in northern England face the risk of being cut off, with up to 40 centimetres of snow expected on higher ground above 300 metres.
Inclement conditions are likely to persist.
Meteorologist Adam Dury from Weatherquest says snowfall is expected in the Pennines and southern Scotland until midday on Monday, with parts of Ireland also potentially affected.
"Obviously the ongoing snow risk is then for the Pennines and southern Scotland, that's just going to continue to snow through the rest of today and probably not going to stop till sometime during Monday morning. So by the middle of Monday morning some places of the Pennines, southern Scotland and even to be honest parts of Ireland as well as central Ireland could even see 20, perhaps 30cm of snow by midday tomorrow, basically."
Over 12,000 homes in northern England are without power amid freezing temperatures.
The U-K’s national weather service has warned that sleet, heavy snow, and thawing could lead to flooding in some areas.
Despite the adverse weather, Liverpool's Premier League match against Manchester United is set to proceed as planned.
The Met Office is cautioning that snow could turn to freezing rain in the Midlands, northern England, and Wales, creating hazardous conditions as rain freezes on contact with road surfaces.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has issued a travel warning.
"That is the advice for people not to travel unless absolutely essential. Where I'm talking to you from now, Trevor (reporter), so near Leigh, between Wigan and Leigh, I would say (there is) four inches of snow here. So the roads are being gritted as we speak and efforts are being taken to keep everything running. But there's been disruption at the airport. We're expecting rain mid-morning, so we do expect the snow to start to clear as the day progresses."
Snow and ice have are also creating havoc in Germany.
Authorities there issued black ice warnings, urging drivers and pedestrians to stay home where possible.
Cologne saw up to 10 centimetres of snow overnight, causing major transport disruptions.
Frankfurt Airport cancelled 120 of 1,090 scheduled flights, while Munich Airport operated with only one cleared runway.
Long-distance trains in the Frankfurt area also faced irregularities.
