Winter storm brings snow, ice and widespread travel and power disruptions

A severe winter storm swept across much of the eastern half of the United States, bringing snow, sleet and extreme cold to an area that officials said put nearly 200 million people in its path and disrupting travel and electrical service. By early Saturday more than 100,000 customers were reported without power in the southern United States, with the largest outages in Texas and Louisiana, and airlines had canceled over 12,000 flights, including more than 75 percent of departures and arrivals at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

The National Weather Service warned of ice accumulation and “catastrophic impacts,” including long power outages and impassable roads, and at least 22 states plus the District of Columbia had declared states of emergency; Canadian forecasters cautioned that extreme cold in some areas could cause frostbite within minutes.

Forecasters said the storm would move east, reaching New York, Washington and other major East Coast cities by Sunday. In the New York region meteorologists expected heavy snow early Sunday followed by sleet in the afternoon, prompting a winter storm warning for parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from 3 a.m.

Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday; coastal snow totals were lowered to 8 to 12 inches, Central Park was forecast at about 12 inches, inland areas could still see 12 to 16 inches, and winds up to 40 miles per hour were possible along coastal Long Island and Connecticut.

Key Topics

World, Winter Storm, New York City, Texas, Dfw Airport, Power Outages