Winter Storm Fern: 230 Million Americans in Path of ‘Crippling’ Ice and Snow
Much of the country, especially the Northeast and Midwest, is bracing for a significant snowstorm this weekend.
How significant, exactly?
Per Weather.com, it’s called Winter Storm Fern, with the storm likely to affect as many as 230 million people, which is about two-thirds of the country’s population. Heavy snow and ice is expected to hit at least 33 of the 50 states.
Winter storm alerts, meanwhile, have been issued, covering areas “from the southern Rockies to the East Coast, covering dozens of major cities including Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.”
“A major, widespread, long-lasting winter storm will hammer parts of the South, Midwest and Northeast Friday through Monday with potentially damaging ice and heavy snow for millions from New Mexico and Texas to parts of New England,” the website’s article says. “This storm will lead to widespread dangerous travel and its destructive South ice storm could lead to long-lasting power outages and tree damage.”
Snow in Upstate New York. Image Credit: 19FortyFive.com
Ice Concerns
Of course, a big concern for the storm will be ice.
“The map below shows the chance of at least one-quarter inch of ice accumulation during the storm, a threshold where tree damage and power outages ramp up quickly, in addition to making roads ice-covered and hazardous,” weather.com says, linking to this map.
“If you’re in the areas contoured in the map below, you need to prepare for the potential of a power outage that could last as long as a few days, especially considering cold air will plunge into the region during and after the storm.”
According to the National Weather Service, Americans should be prepared for “dangerously cold Arctic air spills out over the Great Plains and Eastern U.S through the weekend,” and a “major Winter storm to bring crippling ice and sleet to portions of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley Friday into the weekend, and heavy snowfall northwards from the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and New England.”
“A potent mid-level trough pivoting through southeastern Canada will continue producing lake effect snow showers downwind of the Great Lakes through Friday. In addition to the lake effect snow, snow showers and snow squalls are likely to develop behind the associated strong surface cold front moving through the Northeast today, with a second round of snow squalls possible tomorrow.”
Travel Nightmare Ahead?
The other big concern in a major winter storm is what might happen with travel plans.
According to the New York Times, “Ice, sleet and possibly significant snowfall are threatening to snarl air travel in much of the eastern U.S.,” as early as Friday.
Both major airlines, the newspaper said, are offering rebookings for travelers set to travel through certain major cities. American Airlines, for instance, is offering waived change fees under certain conditions, as laid out here.
Delta Airlines, meanwhile, announced Thursday that it has canceled flights in five states, while also expanding cancellation fee waivers.
“Due to these expected conditions, flight cancelations are necessary at select airports in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee to ensure the safety of our customers and people,” the Delta News Hub said. “Delta automatically rebooks customers to the next best itinerary, and customers can make further changes via the Delta app and Delta.com.”
The Times advises travelers to “monitor your flight using your airline’s app, as updates could appear there first. On the day of your flight, you can also look at the app or website of FlightAware, a flight-tracking service, to get a sense of delays and cancellations at major airports.”
Winter weather outside of Philly. Image Credit: Stephen Silver/19FortyFive.com
“To help minimize disruption to our customers’ travel plans, we’ve issued a travel waiver for Eastern North America, in addition to the winter weather waiver issued yesterday covering impacted parts of the central and southeastern United States. Both waivers cover travel to, from or through affected cities,” Delta added.
Do not be surprised, in other words, to see news reports in the coming days about travelers who have been stuck in airports for two or three days.
Weather Data After DOGE
In the early part of 2025, when Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) was running roughshod through government agencies, concerns were raised that weather forecasting, a function of government that people take for granted, might be disrupted.
Last March, the Center for American Progress held an event called “Forecasting Disaster: How DOGE’s Cuts to NOAA Will Affect Weather Awareness and Well-Being.”
“From broadcasters to weather apps, meteorologists nationwide depend on the NWS’s data collection to provide accurate forecasts that all Americans rely upon,” the event description said. “Now, current and future mass layoffs incited by the recently formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) threaten the fundamental work NOAA and NWS provide to U.S. communities and will damage public safety, economic interests, and research efforts to learn more about weather and climate.”
Two months later, in May, CBS News reported that meteorologists were saying that they were working without the data that they had traditionally relied on, when dealing with an ice storm that spring.
“We couldn’t get true real-world data as often as needed,” Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News Detroit’s chief meteorologist, said in that report, adding that DOGE had cut the number of weather balloons.
Lost August, NBC News reported, NOAA and NWS moved to rehire workers, which undid “most of” the staffing cuts from the DOGE era. This led to the return of about 450 positions, the report said.
“One government official told NBC News that NWS staff believe the Texas floods that killed more than 130 people and sparked questions about NWS forecasts strengthened the case for the agency to rehire hundreds of ‘front-line and mission critical” staff. This official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel matters,’” the NBC report said.
This followed the introduction of bipartisan legislation in Congress, the Weather Workforce Improvement Act.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
