By: Isabella Langner

People Editor

Just prior to the outbreak of fires in southern California, states in the Midwest and on the East Coast experienced the first major snowstorm of 2025, lasting from Jan. 3 to Jan. 7. Winter Storm Blair made landfall in the Pacific Northwest on Jan. 3, showering fresh snow on the Cascade and Sierra Mountains. As Blair reached Utah, it dropped more than twenty inches of snow over the Rockies. Avalanche crews triggered avalanches across the state to protect drivers from uncontrolled slides.

The storm gained strength as it traveled across the midwest. Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansa, and New Jersey all declared a state of emergency. Kansas City experienced its heaviest snowfall since 1993 with more than a foot of snow. NFL teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars had to delay games due to teams being stuck in Blair’s conditions. Parts of Interstate 70, 65, and 75 experienced closures because sleet and snow covered the roads. Blizzard conditions reached Topeka, Dodge City, and multiple other parts of Missouri. Certain locations in northeast Kansas received around 18 inches of snow, and Thomas, West Virginia, received the highest in the state with nineteen inches on the ground.

Around 60 million people across the United States were under weather alerts, with cautions spanning 30 states. On Jan. 6, airlines cancelled 1,400 flights and delayed 800. Southwest, Delta, United, and American Airlines all waived change fees due to potential flight disturbances. The Ronald Reagan Airport closed its runways the evening of Jan. 6 to clear snow. At the Kansas City International Airport, 11 inches of snow fell, making Jan. 5 the fourth-largest single-day total recorded. Additionally, Amtrack cancelled multiple trains between mid-Atlantic cities “for the safety of Amtrak customers and employees, due to forecasted winter weather.” Schools across multiple states shut down alongside federal offices in Washington D.C. 350,000 Americans experienced power outages. 

Blair also proved fatal with ten deaths confirmed due to the storm. Due to the icy conditions on roads covered in sleet and snow, cars and trucks lost control, spiraling into other vehicles and ditches. The Missouri Highway Patrol reported 150 crashes related to the storm. In Wichita, Kansas, multiple passenger cars, trailer trucks, and a fire truck overturned on the roads. Trucks and vehicles slid off the road and caused a pile up on Interstate 70 in eastern Illinois, resulting in the highway’s closure. Winter Storm Blair reached the Atlantic ocean, making it the first coast-to-coast storm of 2025, after doing significant damage to the midwestern and eastern states.

(Sources: BBC, CBS, The Weather Channel, National Weather Service)