U.S. Winter Storm Triggers Unprecedented Travel Chaos

(MENAFN) A massive winter storm tore across the Midwest and eastern United States on Sunday, triggering widespread travel disruptions and leaving millions facing dangerous conditions as the system carved a 2,300-mile path across the country.

At LaGuardia Airport in New York City, airlines had canceled 888 inbound and outbound flights by Sunday, accounting for 93% of the airport’s full-day schedule, according to local media. Real-time flight tracking showed that nearly all takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted, stranding large numbers of travelers.

The storm’s reach has been vast. Nearly 200 million people are currently impacted and under some form of winter weather alert, setting a new record for the highest number of U.S. counties simultaneously placed under a winter storm warning.

Across the nation, the damage has been severe. Some 846,000 power outages have been reported, 27,700 flights have been disrupted, and 21 states have declared states of emergency, according to media.

Meteorologists warned that conditions are expected to worsen. The FOX Forecast Center said snowfall would soon change to sleet, a shift likely to further complicate travel and make roadways increasingly hazardous.

Ahead of the storm’s arrival, U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday approved a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration covering 10 states, enabling federal assistance as the weather emergency continues to unfold.

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