As a potent winter storm barrels toward the central and eastern United States from January 23-25, 2026, freight carriers, shippers, and supply chain managers are bracing for widespread disruptions. Forecast models from the National Weather Service indicate heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice accumulations across more than 30 states, from the Southern Plains through the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, and into the Northeast. This clash of Arctic air and Gulf moisture could paralyze key transportation corridors, repeating recent weather extremes that have already tightened capacity and inflated spot rates in the freight market.

In recent years, repeated Nor’easters in New England, and widespread ice storms in Texas have distorted trucking capacity and shipping schedules, spiking spot rates and tender rejection rates.

The storm’s projected path threatens critical infrastructure, including major interstate highways like I-20 and I-85, vital for automotive and pharmaceutical supply chains. Freezing rain and ice could lead to downed trees, power lines, and road closures, halting trucking operations and extending transit times by 24-48 hours or more. In the Midwest and South, ice on rivers like the Mississippi and Illinois may slow barge traffic, compounding delays for grain and bulk commodities already affected by earlier winter events. Rail lines, particularly BNSF’s routes in the Northwest and Midwest, face risks from flooding and snow, potentially disrupting intermodal freight flows to export terminals.

(WeatherOptics risk management data in SONAR showing risk to supply chain infrastructure. Map: SONAR. To learn more about SONAR, click here.)

Airports in hub cities such as Atlanta (ATL), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT), Memphis (MEM), and Houston (IAH) are at high risk for ground stops and de-icing delays. These hubs, home to Delta, American, and FedEx, handle a disproportionate share of domestic cargo and passenger traffic. Knock-on effects could ripple nationwide, as aircraft rotations falter, leading to canceled flights and stranded crews. For e-commerce and time-sensitive parcels, this means potential backups at sorting facilities, exacerbating holiday-season hangover in logistics.

Retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers will feel the brunt at their facilities. In states like Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia, heavy ice could cause power outages and structural damage, forcing temporary closures of warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants. Automotive suppliers in the Southeast and electronics manufacturers may halt production lines due to inaccessible roads and labor shortages, as employees navigate hazardous commutes. Just-in-time inventory models, prevalent in retail giants like Walmart and Amazon, are particularly vulnerable—stockouts could lead to empty shelves for essentials like groceries and winter gear, triggering panic buying and further straining local supply chains. Agricultural sectors, already reeling from prior storms, face amplified risks: delayed grain shipments could spike basis levels and affect food processing plants.

Freight markets are already volatile, with December 2025’s cold snaps pinching capacity and pushing truckload spot rates up 10% year-over-year. Trucking market analysts continued rate swings in Q1 2026, with winter weather exacerbating tightness in dry van and flatbed segments. Open-deck and oversized loads, common in construction and energy sectors, are especially susceptible to delays from slick roads and permit restrictions. Shippers may see surcharges for weather-related detours, while carriers reduce availability amid safety concerns. Overall, the ITS Supply Chain Report highlights how such events converge with regulatory pressures to create regional capacity crunches.

Broader supply chain implications are dire, as extreme weather ranks second only to geopolitics in global risks for 2026, according to Everstream Analytics. Manufacturers dependent on southern corridors could face multibillion-dollar hits from failing infrastructure and delayed inputs. Retailers might shift to costlier air freight or reroute via less-affected ports, inflating logistics costs and eroding margins.

To mitigate disruptions to shipper supply chains and transportation networks, experts recommend real-time tracking, diversified routing, and buffer inventory. As La Niña patterns amplify northern snow and southern droughts, proactive planning will become essential.