Millions of Americans took shelter as a storm hit the east of the country with full force. This “major winter storm” was forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS) “between Sunday and Monday”. The NWS announced that up to 30 centimeters of snow could cover an area that goes from Tennessee and Georgia, in the Southeast, to Vermont and New York State, in the Northeast. It also predicted freezing rain and strong winds that could reach hurricane force on the Atlantic coast.
Several states reported traffic disruptions in the evening. Thousands of flights have been canceled and part of Interstate I95 has been closed in North Carolina. Motorists have been warned of “hazardous road conditions” and heavy traffic congestion from Arkansas (south) to Maine (northeast).
3,000 domestic and international flights canceled
Florida (southeast), more accustomed to good weather even at this time of year, was indirectly affected when several tornadoes accompanied by snow, caused by this winter storm, caused property damage and coastal flooding Sunday, according to the Weather Channel. From North and South Carolina up the Appalachians, ice and gusty winds complicate the situation.
The winter weather alert affects more than 80 million people, according to US media. Some 3,000 domestic or international flights were canceled by mid-afternoon on Sunday, according to the FlightAware website, and around 4,200 were delayed.
145,000 people without electricity
Power outages affected up to 235,000 people in the Southeast, including more than 150,000 in the Carolinas, according to the PowerOutage.us website, but power appeared to be restored in several areas in the evening, dropping the number of people without electricity less than 145,000.
In Georgia, another state among the most affected, Governor Brian Kemp had declared a state of emergency on Friday, and snowplows were at work before noon to clear the roads. Virginia and North Carolina have also declared states of emergency. More than 30 cm of snow fell on the latter state, according to the weather channel, as well as in North Carolina, where “extensive icing caused problems in the center of the state”.