Sprawling and intense winter storm, Arctic blast hit U.S.

• Ice on trees and power lines cut power to nearly 290,000 customers across six states as of Monday morning.
• Kansas City saw its 4th-largest single-day snowstorm on record, with 11 inches of snow.
• The Washington, D.C., area is forecast to see its largest snowstorm since 2019, with six to 12 inches falling by early Tuesday morning.

In total, a west-to-east stretch of about 1,100 miles from the Plains to Delaware has picked up at least six inches of snow from this storm so far.

What's next: With frigid air from the Arctic locked in place across the U.S. east of the Rockies, some computer models are projecting the possibility of a southern snow and ice storm that could affect Texas to the Carolinas late this week.

• This storm could intensify into a nor'easter off the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast next weekend.

Context: The post-storm Arctic outbreak is tied in part to a north-south stretching of the polar vortex, which is an area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere and the air circulation around it.

• The polar vortex is present each winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Other weather features have also opened the Arctic's refrigerator door.
• Studies have linked rapid, human-caused Arctic climate change with shifts in the polar vortex, though this an active debate.

Go deeper: Winter storm in photos; Axios D.C.; Axios Richmond