Massive winter storm takes aim at I-95 corridor as temperatures plunge in Texas: Latest forecast

Written by on February 5, 2022

(NEW YORK) — The monster storm that dumped more than 1 foot of snow from Missouri to the Northeast is continuing its push east, bringing ice to the Northeast and freezing temperatures to Texas.

With 5,210 flights canceled Thursday nationwide, including over 1,400 in Dallas, the day marked the highest number of weather-related cancellations since March 14, 2017.

The latest

The heavy snow is stretching from western Pennsylvania to Maine Friday afternoon, bringing over 1 foot of snow to some areas.

Icy conditions are spreading across eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley and parts of New England, including Boston.

The storm is dropping rain from Washington, D.C., to New York City.

The storm moves out of the Northeast Friday night. But temperatures will continue to plummet in the Northeast Friday night, so whatever rain or freezing rain falls will freeze on any untreated roads during the evening commute.

Those in the Northeast will wake up to freezing temperatures Saturday, with the wind chill forecast to plunge to 4 degrees in Boston, 6 degrees in New York City and 9 degrees in Washington, D.C.

Texas faces a freeze

The storm dumped 1.7 inches of snow in Dallas — more than the city usually sees in an entire year.

The storm even brought freezing rain down to Texas’ Gulf Coast. Police in Houston are urging drivers to stay off the roads due to ice, and Houston schools are closed Friday.

This storm comes one year after Texas’ power grid disaster, when back-to-back winter storms left more than 4 million people without heat and safe water. It took days for power to be restored, and more than 100 people died because of subsequent blackouts. Months later, Abbott signed a bill to reform the state’s power grid.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott assured residents Friday, “The power grid continues to perform well at peak demand during this winter storm. … The Texas electric grid is more reliable and more resilient than has ever been.”

But Texans are still feeling the freeze with the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — hitting about 8 degrees in Dallas, 7 degrees in Austin and 1 degree in Lubbock on Friday morning.

Saturday morning the wind chills will fall to the teens from Texas to Georgia.

Heading into Friday night, Abbott warned, “It is anticipated that the entire state will be in a freezing or below freezing temperature situation.”

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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