A powerful winter storm has swept through the Eastern United States, leaving more than 300,000 customers without power in the region. The storm also led to thousands of flight cancellations on Sunday and Monday after it caused multiple tornadoes from Florida to Maine.
More than 3,000 flights to, from and within the US were canceled Sunday, according to the flight tracker Flight Aware. And by late Monday afternoon, more than 1,600 American flights had been canceled for the day.
Millions of people across the eastern US were digging out from heavy snow on Monday after the storm, which brought snow to the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest over the weekend.
MFD crews responded to a Multi-vehicle MVA @ 2800 Austin Peay Hwy. 16 vehicles involved, 6 transported to the ER, 2 critical, 4 noncritical. MATA Bus on the scene to keep people warm. Avoid the area and expect significant delays. pic.twitter.com/AzXRfj5sm4
— Memphis Fire Department (@MEM_Fire) February 4, 2022
More than 3,000 flights to, from and within the US were canceled Sunday, according to the flight tracker Flight The Transportation Department told residents in North Carolina to stay home and off flooded and ice-slicked roads on Monday, according to NBC News.
North Carolina Emergency Management officials said black ice made driving particularly dangerous near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. Two people died on Sunday after a vehicle veered off Interstate 95 and struck several trees in a median in North Carolina.
Aware. And by late Monday afternoon, more than 1,600 American flights had been canceled for the day. Millions of people across the eastern US were digging out from heavy snow on Monday after the storm, which brought snow to the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest over the weekend.
The storm also means roads in the state are slick. A crash involving 16 vehicles in Memphis sent six people to the hospital, two of whom had critical injuries, according to the Memphis Fire Department. Residents are advised to avoid the Austin Peay Highway area
With more heavy mixed precipitation forecast through the night, the NWS said Memphis residents can expect even more falling tree branches and power outages. City officials said Thursday that they are calling in as many outside crews as possible to help with the conditions, according to CBS affiliate WREG.
Meanwhile, in parts of Texas where winter storm warnings, wind chill advisories and freeze warnings are in effect, outages topped 21,000 Thursday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Certain parts of south-central Texas could be in for up to half an inch of ice, according to the NWS, creating the possibility for more downed power lines.
Peter Lake, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, insisted Thursday that the state’s grid is “strong, reliable and is performing well in this winter weather event.”
The Austin-Travis County EMS renewed calls for people to stay off the icy roads after responding to a 14-vehicle crash on an interstate in Georgetown Thursday afternoon. It was not clear if anyone was injured. Local police tweeted that they were responding to multiple wrecks that are blocking lanes of traffic on the interstate.
The weather is expected to continue to impact travel beyond the thousands of cancellations and delays reported Thursday. Delta said it anticipates canceling 300 flights on Friday, while United said it has already canceled more than 430 flights.
The widespread national outages come just a year after a record winter freeze throughout Texas and much of the South left millions without power and caused at least 24 deaths.
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