Winter Storm Blankets Eastern U.S., Disrupting Travel Across Multiple States

Heavy snow blanketed large portions of the United States on Sunday, stretching from the mid-South through New England and covering roughly the eastern third of the country, according to Reuters.

The snowfall was accompanied by an Arctic cold front east of the Rocky Mountains, bringing subzero temperatures that strained energy supplies in some areas and caused widespread travel disruptions.

Approximately 118 million people were under winter storm alerts, and 157 million people between the Canadia border and the Gulf of Mexico were warned to brace for subfreezing temperatures, Reuters reported. In the northern Plains, wind chills dipped to minus 50 degrees.

States reporting the heaviest snowfall as of Sunday included Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, according to Reuters.

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed National Guard troops to assist with emergency response efforts in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

Across the mid-Atlantic, heavy snow transitioned into sleet and freezing rain, creating hazardous driving conditions and limiting the ability of street crews to safely clear roadways, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump issued federal emergency disaster declarations for a dozen states, largely in the southern U.S., while 17 states and Washington D.C. delcared weather emergencies on Saturday, according to Reuters.

Freezing rain deposited ice accumulations up to an inch thick in parts of the South, knocking out power and downing trees and transmission lines. At the height of the storm, more than 1 million homes and business across eight states — from Texas to the Carolinas — were without electricity, according to Reuters.  

Icy conditions are expected to persist for several days as another surge of Arctic air follows the storm, Reuters reported.

Sources: Reuters