A strong winter storm is coming to the United States. It will bring snow, ice, and very cold temperatures. Forecasters say more than 200 million people may have dangerous weather starting Friday. The storm is moving east from the High Plains. It will cause many problems.
The National Weather Service expects heavy snow and freezing rain. Temperatures will be very low. Wind chills will be life-threatening. These cold conditions will last all weekend. Transportation and flights will be difficult in big cities.
The storm will affect many areas. The Southern Rockies, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast will see a lot of snow. Cities like Memphis, Nashville, and New York will get heavy snow. Some places could get more than one foot of snow. New York City might get 10 to 14 inches. Boston could get 12 to 17 inches.
However, the cold is also a big problem. Arctic air will make temperatures drop fast. Wind chills will be very dangerous. In some areas, wind chills could be -10°F. In other areas, they could be -15°F. The Northern Plains might have wind chills as low as -50°F. This cold can cause frostbite and hypothermia. Many old temperature records could be broken.
This storm will move slowly. Travel will be very hard this weekend. Airports will have many delays and cancellations. Roads will be slippery and dangerous. People are asked to be careful. They should not travel if they don't need to. They should also be ready for power outages. The weather service calls the conditions "extremely dangerous."