Catastrophic winter storm spurs widespread emergencies and outages across U.S.

A massive winter storm is sweeping from the central U.S. eastward with sleet, ice, and snow, prompting the declaration of emergencies in at least 22 states as officials warn of catastrophic impacts. The storm has already triggered widespread power outages, thousands of flight cancellations and delays, and shelters opening in North Carolina, with DHS/FEMA coordinating the response and President Trump approving emergency declarations in several states. The system is forecast to move into the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Northeast over the weekend, bringing heavy snow to many cities and even a tornado risk along the Gulf Coast, while authorities urge people to stay off roads and prepare for prolonged outages and dangerous travel conditions.