Nearly 10,000 Flights Canceled as Historic US Winter Storm Leaves 140 Million Under Warnings

Almost 10,000 weekend flights were canceled and about 140 million people were under winter storm warnings Saturday as a sprawling system spread hazardous snow and ice across much of the United States. President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia.

In his Truth Social post on Saturday morning, Trump stated: “I have approved Emergency Declarations for the Historic Winter Storms headed to the Great State of South Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia.” He added that with FEMA and state partners, they would ensure safety and support for both states. “We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm,” he said.

Trump later expanded his declaration to include Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. In an updated post, he wrote: “We are working closely with FEMA, Governors, and State Emergency Management teams to ensure the safety of everybody.”

The storm system stretched from the Southwest into the Northeast and New England, bringing heavy snow, ice, and worsening travel conditions through the weekend. It was dumping snow across parts of Kansas and Oklahoma while hitting North and East Texas and Arkansas with freezing rain and sleet.

Flight tracking data showed more than 3,600 flights canceled on Saturday with over 6,200 expected to be canceled for Sunday.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on January 21 under Executive Order 2026-02. He also requested federal disaster assistance from Trump for the storm period January 24–26.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger declared a state of emergency on January 22 as winter weather began Saturday and lasted into Monday morning. Trump approved federal disaster assistance for Virginia on Saturday.

The federal government deployed nearly 30 search-and-rescue teams and prepositioned supplies. Eighteen states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, had already declared emergencies.

Currently, snow is falling in Kansas and Oklahoma, while freezing rain and sleet are affecting North and East Texas and Arkansas.