Thousands of flights were canceled across the US as major winter storms hit
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More than 8,000 flights across the US that were due to take off over the weekend have been canceled as a major storm expected to wreak havoc across the country, threatening to knock out power for days and destroy highways.
About 140 million people were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warns of widespread heavy snow and a catastrophic snowpack from east Texas to North Carolina.
Forecasters warned that damage, especially in areas hit by snow, could be hurricane-like.
By Friday night, the edge of the storm was sending sleet and sleet to parts of Texas while snow and ice fell to Oklahoma. After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move northeast, dumping as much as 10 inches of snow from Washington to New York and Boston, the weather service predicted.
Governors in more than a dozen states have sounded the alarm about the impending stormy weather, declaring states of emergency or urging people to stay home.
Major regions of Canada are experiencing extreme cold, with some areas likely to dip below -50 C. It is coming as a major and powerful winter storm hits the entire United States, bringing snow, heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told residents on social media X that the state Department of Transportation was repairing roads and told residents, “Stay home if possible.”
More than 3,400 flights were delayed or canceled Saturday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. More than 5,000 were arrested on Sunday.
Cold temperatures and snow
Utility companies braced for power outages because snow-covered trees and power lines could continue to fall long after the storm passed.
The Midwest has seen wind chills of up to 40 C, meaning frost can set in within 10 minutes.
In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was 41 C, Colin Cross bundled up on Friday in long johns, two long-sleeved shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves and boots as he cleaned the empty space of the apartment where he worked.
“I’ve been here and my mind just stopped working,” Cros said.
The storm has been a popular topic of conversation for days at the Saint Paul Mini Market in Baltimore.
“Everybody who walks by is talking up a storm,” says owner Ayaz Ahmed.
“In a way, this time, they did a good job of letting people know that there’s a storm coming, and everyone knows about the storm, but how to deal with that is another thing,” Ahmed said.
The government is preparing to respond
The federal government has put about 30 search and rescue teams on standby. Officials had more than seven million meals, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators placed throughout the storm’s expected landfall, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
President Donald Trump said on social media Friday that his administration has been working with state and local officials and that “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”
After the storm passes, it will take a long time to thaw. Snow can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches and make them prone to outages, especially in windy conditions.
In at least 11 southern states from Texas to Virginia, most homes are heated by electricity, according to the US Census Bureau.
A severe cold snap over the past five years has brought down much of Texas’ power grid, leaving millions without power for days and leading to hundreds of deaths. Abbott has vowed that it will never happen again, and charities are bringing in thousands of workers to help keep the lights on.
Church, Carnival and classes are cancelled
Churches have moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., decided to hold its Saturday night broadcast without fans. Carnival shows in Louisiana have been canceled or rescheduled.
Philadelphia has announced that schools will be closed on Monday. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. he told students, “It’s also worth having one or two very safe snowball fights.”
Other universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the main campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
At the University of Georgia, Athens, England’s signalman Eden stayed at the school to hang out with friends, as the school encouraged students to leave the dorms and go home due to concerns about running out of energy.
“I’d like to have my friends,” England said, “kind of struggling together in case anything happens.”
