Massive Winter Storm Impacts Travel Across the United States
Click to start listening
New York, Jan 7 (NationPress) Extensive regions of the United States encountered harsh winter weather, including substantial snowfall, ice storms, and blizzard conditions.
The adverse weather led to extensive interruptions in transportation and infrastructure on Monday, affecting nearly 70 million individuals who were under a winter weather warning, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated, "For some, this could be the most significant snowfall in over a decade."
As of Monday morning, up to 18 inches of snow was recorded in Chapman and St. George, Kansas, with over 10 inches reported in both Cameron, Missouri, and Mason, West Virginia.
Flight tracker service FlightAware noted that over 1,900 flights within the United States were canceled on Monday, affecting both inbound and outbound travel.
Major airports faced significant delays, with John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York experiencing an average delay of 46 minutes and canceling more than 104 flights. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) recorded an average delay of 50 minutes with over 140 flights canceled.
Rail services were also heavily disrupted. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) canceled more than 50 trains, impacting key routes along the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Amtrak explained that these actions were necessary for the safety of its customers and employees and confirmed that no alternative transportation options would be offered.
As of 4:20 p.m. Eastern Time, over 250,000 customers were reported to be without electricity, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us.
Tragically, it has been reported that at least four individuals lost their lives and many more were injured due to traffic incidents linked to the winter storm.
The National Weather Service has cautioned that severe weather may persist through Tuesday, prompting Amtrak to start canceling some trains scheduled for Tuesday.
