Photos: Massive winter storm sweeps across the U.S.

An extreme winter storm is underway impacting two-thirds of the U.S.

Starting Friday and expected to last through Monday, freezing rain, ice, and dangerously low temperatures will stretch from New Mexico to the Northeast.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and power outages are of catastrophic concern especially for the southern states.

We take a look.

A de-icing crew works during the winter storm on a Southwest Airlines flight at Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee.
A de-icing crew works during the winter storm on a Southwest Airlines flight at Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee. (Andrew Nelles | USA Today Network via REUTERS)
A person walks in the snow in Little Rock, Arkansas. A massive winter storm is bringing frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to nearly 200 million Americans.
A person walks in the snow in Little Rock, Arkansas. A massive winter storm is bringing frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to nearly 200 million Americans. (Will Newton | Getty Images)
Ice crystals form inside a kitchen window in Lowville, New York.
Ice crystals form inside a kitchen window in Lowville, New York. (Cara Anna | AP)
Shoppers walk past nearly empty shelves at a store ahead of an anticipated winter storm in New York.
Shoppers walk past nearly empty shelves at a store ahead of an anticipated winter storm in New York. (Michael Nagle | Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cars drive in the snow on Interstate 630 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Cars drive in the snow on Interstate 630 in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Will Newton | Getty Images)
Yana Beeker, front, Roddy Peterson, behind, sled down a hill at the state Capitol during a winter storm in Nashville, Tenn.
Yana Beeker, front, Roddy Peterson, behind, sled down a hill at the state Capitol during a winter storm in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV | AP)
Snow falls during a winter storm in Kansas City, Missouri.
Snow falls during a winter storm in Kansas City, Missouri. (Clayton Steward | Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Workers are bundled up at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo ahead of an anticipated winter storm in Fort Worth, Texas.
Workers are bundled up at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo ahead of an anticipated winter storm in Fort Worth, Texas. (Mark Felix | Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Volunteers prepare cots at an inclement weather shelter ahead of a winter storm at Fair Parks Automobile Building in Dallas, Texas on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.
Volunteers prepare cots at an inclement weather shelter ahead of a winter storm at Fair Parks Automobile Building in Dallas, Texas on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Mark Felix | Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ice forms along the shore of Lake Michigan on Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago.
Ice forms along the shore of Lake Michigan on Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (Kiichiro Sato | AP)

 

Sunday Puzzle: All In

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with WFIU listener Mark Minster of Terre Haute, Ind., and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.

U.S. rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes

Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as Alex Honnold reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower, about 90 minutes after he started.

Here’s how ‘shared decision making’ for childhood vaccines could limit access

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new approach to six shots that were formerly given routinely will introduce new hurdles for getting kids immunized. And it could have a chilling effect on doctors.

5 things to know about the latest Minneapolis shooting

Tensions are escalating in Minneapolis after Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen, was killed during an encounter with immigration officials on Saturday morning. Here is what to know.

Thousands of new Americans opt for ‘ultimate act of inclusion’ despite obstacles

Three citizenship ceremonies NPR attended in the Washington, D.C. area in January were largely celebratory experiences, despite a year of hurdles and changes to the naturalization process.

40 years after Challenger: Lingering guilt and lessons learned

Forty years after the Challenger disaster, NPR explores the engineers' last-minute efforts to stop the launch, their decades of guilt and the vital lessons that remain critical for NASA today.

More Front Page Coverage