Winter storm brings blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chills
[December 29, 2025]
By LEAH WILLINGHAM and JEFF MARTIN
A potent winter storm threatened blizzard-like conditions, treacherous
travel and power outages in parts of the Upper Midwest as other areas of
the country braced Monday for plunging temperatures, strong winds and a
mix of snow, ice, and rain.
The snow and strengthening winds began spreading Sunday across the
northern Plains, where the National Weather Service warned of whiteout
conditions and possible blizzard conditions that could make travel
impossible in some areas. Snowfall totals were expected to exceed a foot
(30 centimeters) across parts of the upper Great Lakes and as much as
double that along the south shore of Lake Superior.
“Part of the storm system is getting heavy snow, other parts of the
storm along the cold front are getting higher winds and much colder
temperatures as the front passes,” said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at
the National Weather Service office in College Park, Maryland. “They’re
all related to each other — different parts of the country will be
receiving different effects from this storm.”
The weather service warned of “dangerous wind chills” as low as minus 30
degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34.4 degrees Celsius) in North Dakota and into
Minnesota from Sunday night into Monday.
In the South, meteorologists warned severe thunderstorms are likely to
signal the arrival of a sharp cold front — bringing a sudden drop in
temperatures and strong north winds that will abruptly end days of
record warmth throughout that region.
The high temperature in Atlanta was around 72 F (22 C) on Sunday,
continuing a warming trend after climbing to 78 F (about 26 C) to
shatter the city’s record high temperature for Christmas Eve, the
National Weather Service said. Numerous other record high temperatures
were seen across the South and Midwest on the days after Christmas.
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Devon Jordan, of Brainerd , helps a person start their car durning
heavy snow fall on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 in downtown Minneapolis.
(Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)
But the incoming cold front was expected to drop rain on much of the
South late Sunday night into Monday, and a big drop in temperatures
Tuesday. Forecasters said the low temperature in Atlanta to 25 F
(minus 3.9 C) by early Tuesday morning. The colder temperatures in
the South are expected to persist through New Year’s Day.
In Dallas, Sunday temperatures in the lower 80s (upper 20s C) could
drop down to the mid 40s (single digits Celsius). In Little Rock,
high temperatures of around 70 (21 C) on Sunday could drop down to
highs in the mid-30s on Monday.
“We’re definitely going back towards a more winter pattern," Oravec
said.
The storm is expected to intensify as it moves east, drawing energy
from a sharp clash between frigid air plunging south from Canada and
unusually warm air that has lingered across the southern United
States, according to the National Weather Service.
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Willingham reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Martin reported
from Kennesaw, Georgia.
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