Storm Blair stay: Seven states declare emergencies and airports in chaos as 63 million hit by lethal snow and ice
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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
An arctic blast is battering the southern US as a brutal winter storm blows from the Ohio River Valley to the mid-Atlantic on Monday morning.
The storm has disrupted travel, bringing heavy snow, ice and wind to the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. At least three deaths tied to inclement weather were reported over the weekend in Missouri and Kansas.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled across airports in the Midwest and along the East Coast, and officials in several states are pleading with residents to keep off the roads unless there’s an emergency.
Hundreds of thousands of customers have been left in the dark in Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and other states, according to the tracker PowerOutage.US.
“For some, this could be the heaviest snowfall in over a decade,” the NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center said in a statement.
Meanwhile, frigid air is blowing into the southern US, bringing single-digit “feels like” temperatures to much of Texas and causing officials to issue a freeze watch in orange-growing Florida.
Many states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia, issued states of emergency ahead of the storm. Washington, D.C. is also under a snow emergency alert as of Sunday afternoon.
Up to 12 inches of snow are forecast to fall across the Mid-Atlantic
The first winter storm of the season is expected to produce between six and 12 inches of snow across the Mid-Atlantic, including in Washington, D.C., forecasters warned Monday.
An additional two to four inches are anticipated to fall over the Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians, the National Weather Service warned.
By Monday evening, freezing rain and light icing is forecast to develop from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic.
Virginia sees more than 200 crashes in just 12 hours — including one fatality
In Virginia, state police said they had responded to more than 200 crashes between 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday, although not all of the incidents were storm related.
Several accidents included injuries. One was fatal.
A 32-year-old man identified as Timothy Lee Tanner died around midnight in Wakefield after his truck ran off the road and struck a tree, according to WRIC. Police said he was driving too fast for roadway conditions and wasn’t wearing a seat belt, while alcohol appears to be a contributing factor.
With reporting from The Associated Press
President Biden changes travel plans due to weather
Snowy conditions in Washington, D.C., forced a change in President Joe Biden’s travel plans on Monday.
Biden, who is heading to New Orleans following the New Year’s Day truck attack, will drive to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to board Air Force One for the flight. He typically flies directly to the base on the Marine One helicopter.
With reporting from The Associated Press
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport sees record snowfall
A few more inches of snow were expected on Monday across Cincinnati, where car and truck crashes Monday morning shut down at least two major routes.
With reporting from The Associated Press
Rail travel also snarled by winter storm
Tthe nation’s passenger railways have also been disrupted by the storm, with more than 20 cancelations reported on Sunday and about 40 planned for Monday.
“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it’s counterintuitive to try to run a full slate of services when people are being told to stay home,” Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari told The Associated Press.
In Photos: Americans respond to deadly winter storm
Winter storm conditions force school closures
Schools were closed Monday in multiple states across the eastern U.S. due to winter storm conditions.
Closures were reported in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, as well as Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
“Our priority is the safety of everyone in our city and getting D.C. cleaned and fully opened as soon as possible,” Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote in a post on social media.
“That said, if you don’t need to be on the roads tonight and tomorrow, stay home.”
Multiple deaths tied to inclement weather over the weekend
At least three deaths linked to inclement weather were reported over the weekend.
In Kansas, a Yukon SUV traveling in southbound on Interstate 235 spun out of control, the state’s highway patrol said.
“While going down the embankment, the vehicle rolled an unknown number of times. Both occupants were unrestrained and ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle came to rest upright, facing Northwest by the KDOT fence,” a report noted.
Authorities said that at least 600 motorists had been stranded in the state. Hundreds of other car accidents were reported in Virginia, Kansas, Indiana, and Kentucky.
With reporting from The Associated Press
Source: independent.co.uk
