More than 8,000 flights scheduled across the United States over the weekend have been cancelled as a powerful winter storm sweeps across much of the country, threatening prolonged power outages and severe travel disruption.
Around 140 million people were placed under winter storm warnings stretching from New Mexico to New England, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned of widespread heavy snowfall and a dangerous band of ice extending from eastern Texas to North Carolina, with damage in some areas expected to rival that of a hurricane.
By Friday night, freezing rain and sleet had already begun to fall in parts of Texas, while snow and sleet blanketed sections of Oklahoma. After battering the southern states, the storm was forecast to move northeast, dumping up to 30 centimetres (about one foot) of snow from Washington, D.C., through New York to Boston.
ALSO READ NCF awards research grants to 2 environmental PhD students
Governors in more than a dozen states declared states of emergency or urged residents to remain indoors as conditions deteriorated.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state’s Department of Transportation was pre-treating major highways and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel, writing on social media platform X: “Stay home if possible.”
Flight disruptions mounted rapidly. By Saturday, more than 3,400 flights had been delayed or cancelled, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware, while over 5,000 flights scheduled for Sunday were called off.
Utility companies also braced for widespread outages, warning that ice-laden trees and power lines could continue to collapse long after the storm passes.
In the Midwest, brutal cold accompanied the storm system, with wind chills plunging to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), a temperature at which frostbite can occur within 10 minutes.
In Bismarck, North Dakota, where wind chills fell to minus 41, apartment worker Colin Cross layered up in multiple shirts, a heavy jacket, gloves, a hat and boots as he worked outdoors. “I’ve been here a while, and my brain stopped working,” he said.
The storm dominated conversations across affected communities. At Saint Paul Mini Market in Baltimore, owner Ayaz Ahmed said nearly every customer was talking about the approaching weather.
“Somehow, this time around, they did a good job letting people know a storm is coming, and everybody knows about it,” Ahmed said. “But how to deal with it is another thing.”
Forecasters warned that hazardous conditions could persist for days, urging residents to limit travel, prepare for power outages and follow emergency advisories closely.
BusinessDay
