State of emergency declared in multiple states as blizzard threatens to blanket 30 states and 70 million people brace for the coldest storm EVER | 22 Jan 2026 | A state of emergency was declared in several states ahead of a massive winter storm that could bring more than a foot of snow to much of the country. More than 70 million people across parts of 30 states now face winter storm warnings from Friday through Sunday. Meteorologists were expected to issue more within the next couple of days and upgrade some to winter storm warnings as the storm approaches. When it then hits, temperatures are expected to plunge as much as 30 degrees below normal in the Dakotas and Michigan, with the wind chill falling between 35 and 50 degrees below zero in some parts, according to the Weather Channel.