January 23, 2026 — Winter storm begins, bringing ice, heavy snow to much of the US

Residents from Texas to the Southeast are clearing store shelves of basic necessities, making items like eggs, bread and water increasingly difficult to find.

In Georgia, grocery stores were packed as families, college students and grandparents rushed to prepare ahead of the ice storm, CNN affiliate WMAZ reported. Shoppers in some areas waited in lines that appeared to stretch about half a mile, according to the outlet.

“I realized we didn’t have any bottled water,” Tripp Childs, who made multiple shopping trips, told WMAZ. Other shoppers described crowded aisles and empty shelves as they tried to gather supplies to ride out the storm.

“We just went to Walmart and bought out all the Red Bulls,” another shopper told WMAZ. “That was our main priority. We’re also stocking up on pasta and easy things we can make. Different kinds of bread, which people think they need to get – but no bananas. Not one banana.”

Similar scenes played out in Virginia, where shoppers moving through Costco, Publix and Kroger stores found bare shelves and long checkout lines.

“I know people want to be ready, but calm down, you don’t need to buy all the toilet paper in Virginia,” Kim Lepe told WWBT. “Some of the things I wanted to make sure I have, I do not have.”

The rush extended beyond the Southeast.

A Dallas resident told The Associated Press she was stocking up on chicken, eggs and prepared food ahead of the storm.

“It’s going to be a big storm,” Maricela Resendiz told the AP. Her plans: “Staying in, just being out of the way.”