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US winter storm moves east; more than 132,000 without power, 1,300 flights hit
Governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida called the Sunshine State and declared states of emergency.
A major winter storm that brought more than 5 inches of snowfall in Texas and the northern Gulf Coast moved eastward on Wednesday. Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain were reported across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas.
A blast of Arctic air from the north pole is plunging much of the Midwest and the eastern US into a deep freeze, leading to three deaths so far. Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills are forecast for much of the week in the region.
Also read | Winter is coming: Rare snow storm disrupts life in Texas, Florida and Louisiana | Photos
The latest weather warning said that big cities like Jacksonville, Florida, will see snow, sleet and accumulating ice throughout Wednesday. Jacksonville International Airport closed Tuesday evening and said it plans to reopen Wednesday afternoon. Schools had cancelled classes, and government offices were shut.
According to FlightAware.com, over 1,300 flights to, from, or within the US had been cancelled by Wednesday morning, and more than 900 were delayed.
Houston airports were set to restart flights on Wednesday morning after stopping operations on Tuesday. Many airlines planned to start flying again on Wednesday at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, where almost all flights were cancelled on Tuesday.
Also read | Historic winter storm tests Texas, triggers blizzard warnings in Louisiana
Snow fell in New Orleans after a decade, setting a new record of 10 inches in isolated places. The National Weather Service said the snowfall surpassed its record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimetres) set on December 31, 1963.
“Wow, what a snow day! It’s safe to say this was a historic snowfall for much of the area,” the weather agency said in a social media post.
According to the website Poweroutages.us, more than 132,000 customers were without power across the region on Friday morning, including about 50,000 in Georgia and 43,000 in Florida.
Governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida called the Sunshine State and declared states of emergency, and many schools cancelled in-school activities for Tuesday and Wednesday.
A state of emergency was also declared in at least a dozen New York counties, with up to 2 feet (60 centimetres) of lake-effect snow and extreme cold expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday.
(With AP inputs)
