A massive winter storm has forced the cancellation of more than 8,000 flights across the United States, with forecasters warning of heavy snow, catastrophic ice and life-threatening cold affecting millions of residents.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, at least 3,400 flights were delayed or cancelled on Saturday, while more than 5,000 were called off for Sunday.
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The National Weather Service placed about 140 million people under winter storm warnings stretching from New Mexico to New England. Meteorologists said damage in areas hit by ice could rival that of a hurricane.
Snow fell across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on Friday ahead of the storm, which is expected to converge with Arctic cold and engulf much of the country.
“This is a mean storm,” Jacob Asherman of the US Weather Prediction Center in Maryland told Reuters. He described it as the most intense and widespread storm of the season.
Wind-chill readings plunged to below minus 45 degrees Celsius in the Dakotas and Minnesota, raising fears of hypothermia for anyone exposed without proper clothing.
The worst conditions were predicted for Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, where forecasters warned that ice up to an inch thick could coat tree limbs, power lines and roadways.
Governors in more than a dozen states declared emergencies or urged residents to stay indoors. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said roads were being pretreated and advised people to remain at home if possible.
Utility companies braced for widespread power outages, noting that ice-coated trees and power lines could continue to fall even after the storm passes.
President Donald Trump said his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, adding that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was “fully prepared to respond.”
