Catastrophic wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds have been sweeping through Southern California since Tuesday, January 8, 2025, killing at least 24 people, displacing over 200 000 residents, and destroying more than 12 000 homes and buildings. In addition, more than 360 000 customers, or just over 1 million people in California were left without power.
Three wildfires broke out in southern California’s Los Angeles County, burning through nearly 1 600 ha (4,000 acres) in less than a day, prompting tens of thousands to evacuate and damaging multiple structures.
An avalanche struck Utah’s SR-210 on Saturday, January 4, 2024, prompting its closure for avalanche mitigation.
A strong high-pressure system developing over parts of the Great Basin is forecast to set up major Santa Ana winds over southern California starting on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, with an Extremely Critical Outlook being issued for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Another winter storm is set to hit the south starting Thursday, January 9, 2024, after the first winter storm of the year left a trail of destruction across much of the U.S.
At least 6 people have been reported dead after a record-breaking winter storm swept through much of the United States from January 3 – 6, 2025, bringing record snow and causing severe travel disruptions with over 9 000 flights being delayed or canceled and hundreds of crashes reported across multiple states.
A massive multi-vehicle crash involving around 40 vehicles, including semitrailers, forced the closure of Interstate 70 near Greenup, Illinois, during a winter storm on January 5, 2025. The Illinois State Police (ISP) confirmed the highway would remain shut for hours with traffic diverted to U.S. Route 40.
The first winter storm of 2025 has battered much of the United States with severe weather conditions, record snow, and ice leading to hundreds of crashes and at least one fatality in Missouri. Severe weather and icy roads have led to severe travel disruptions, causing over 3 000 flight delays and multiple road closures across the country.
Multiple accidents have been reported due to ice accumulations on roads across Kansas and Missouri on Saturday, January 4, 2025, as a potent winter storm brought severe weather conditions to the region. The storm delivered freezing rain, sleet, and snow, creating hazardous travel conditions and prompting authorities to issue warnings for drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
A major winter storm is forecast to affect approximately 50 million people across the United States this weekend, bringing heavy snow, blizzard conditions, and significant icing from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, starting Saturday, January 4, 2025. For some areas, this could be the heaviest snowfall in over a decade.
