I just reviewed the forecasts, and it looks like a pretty serious winter storm is heading to the United States. When this intense cold season begins, systems like this become more common and aggressive. The approaching one is bringing real Arctic air, so it’s no small matter.

What catches my attention is the scale of the event. We’re talking about over 150 million people in the line of fire, from the southwest to the Atlantic coast. More than two dozen states will feel the effects over the weekend and possibly for several days. Dallas, New York, Boston, Atlanta... big cities that are not usually accustomed to this level of intensity.

The danger here isn’t just the snow. In several regions, especially from central Texas to the Carolinas, ice will be the real problem. Accumulations of up to 1.3 centimeters in some areas could bring down entire trees and leave thousands without power. Meanwhile, in the Appalachian Mountains, more than 60 centimeters of snow could fall in some zones.

After the storm passes, the cold will stick around. Sub-zero temperatures for two or three consecutive days in the eastern part of the country. Cities like Dallas expect highs around 0°C or lower for nearly 48 hours. It’s not the coldest we’ve seen, but combined with the snow and ice, it will make things quite complicated. When winter begins in the United States with systems like this, it’s definitely best to be prepared at home.