Winter Storm Fern live updates: Massive winter storm moves through US

This morning, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “I have approved Emergency Declarations for the Historic Winter Storms headed to the Great State of South Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia. With the help of FEMA and our State partners, we will keep everyone safe, and make sure both States have the support they need. We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm!”On Friday morning, Trump had posted: “Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before. Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”In reality, the climate crisis is causing more instability in weather systems and patterns, disrupting the polar vortex and bringing more extremes amid rapidly rising global temperatures. Arctic temperatures are more frequently and persistently sweeping across parts of the US not accustomed to prolonged severe cold weather.Trump has long been a climate crisis skeptic and has been consistently pulling the US back from domestic climate action and international treaties to curb global heating driven by human-caused emissions, while spinning inaccurate information.States of emergency have been announced in 16 states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Emergency declarations were also made in Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.New York added itself to the list later on Friday, as did Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky. Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, has declared a state of emergency in the district.Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of the winter storm system currently moving across much of the midwest and southern US. My name is Marina Dunbar and I will be bringing you the latest news lines.Over 220 million people are likely to be affected by the huge winter weather system as it forms in parts of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains and surges across southern and midwestern areas from Friday, blowing up the east coast on Saturday and as far north as Maine by Sunday. The storm has been dubbed Winter Storm Fern by the Weather Channel.