Winter storm in eastern US causes power outages, flight delays | Globalism
2 min read
Millions of Americans were affected on Sunday (16) by a severe storm that hit the eastern United States with snow and ice. This situation caused power outages, road disruptions and suspension of flights.
The National Weather Service warned that “a major winter storm will hit the eastern United States between Sunday and Monday.”
According to the NWS, up to 30 cm of snow can fall in an area stretching from Tennessee to Georgia in the southeast to Vermont and New York in the northeast. The agency said winds could reach hurricane speeds over the Atlantic coast.
Transportation suffered interruptions. Thousands of flights have been canceled and part of North Carolina’s I95 highway has been closed. Drivers were warned of the “dangerous road condition” and congestion.
About 2,900 domestic and international flights have been canceled as of Sunday noon, according to FlightAware, and another 2,400 flights have been postponed.
People walk along the National Mall in Washington, DC during a winter storm (Photo: Stephanie Reynolds/AFP)
The NWS explained that “Arctic air, which is already in the central and eastern United States, will combine with this dynamic system to form a layer of snow more than 30 cm thick.”
Southeast Florida, with generally good weather, was affected by several hurricanes and snowfall, due to the storm that also caused property damage and coastal flooding on Sunday, according to the Weather Channel.
The American press reported that the alert for winter worries more than 80 million people. At least 235,000 people were without power in the Southeast, including 150,000 in North Carolina and South Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us.
Georgia, one of the hardest-hit states, Virginia and North Carolina, declared states of emergency since Friday (14).
In the northeastern United States, hundreds of motorists were banned for nearly 20 hours on a major hub connecting Washington, DC.
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