Thousands of flights grounded as storms bring heavy snow, tornado risk to US East, Midwest
A wave of turbulent weather coast to coast in the US — from unusually hot weather in California to damaging winds around Washington, DC — put more than 100 million people in the path of extreme conditions Monday.
Storms across the eastern half of the country forced airlines to cancel more than 4,000 flights across the country by noon ET Monday, according to FlightAware, with another 5,000 facing delays, as air travel was already facing a downturn due to the effects of the federal government’s partial shutdown.
Many schools were closed early in the mid-Atlantic region, where strong winds and hurricanes were predicted.
Storms buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, while torrential rains flooded homes and flooded roads in Hawaii.
In Washington, the House of Representatives postponed votes due to travel difficulties and bad weather.
Airport delays and cancellations could pile up Monday at some of the nation’s largest airports—including those in Washington, New York and Chicago.
“This is what happens in March and April,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“It’s clashing with the wind. Winter doesn’t want to let go from the North, and it’s clear that the sun is getting stronger and warmer in the South.”
High winds, tornado hazards
A storm system that dropped feet of snow in the Midwest is moving toward the East Coast with strong winds and the potential to “produce strong and long-lasting storms,” the weather service warned Monday.
“Today, it’s a really dangerous wind,” said Northern Illinois University climate professor Victor Gensini.
A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared likely to experience very dangerous winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said.
That would include Raleigh, NC, Richmond, Va., and the state capital.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of an expected gust of up to 112 km/h.
Aside from the threat to life and property, “whether it’s wind gusts from a squall line, a tropical storm or snowstorm, or just wind from a hurricane, you’re looking at a few major airports that are affected,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Some drivers in Sudbury were having a hard time Monday morning as many side roads were not plowed and were nearly impassable.
Midwestern states are seeing heavy snow
Blizzard conditions persisted Monday in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan, where the storm brought 60 cm of snow in the morning.
Another 30 to 50 inches of snow is expected in upper Michigan, along with gusty winds, on Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Accumulations of snow in places like Chicago and Milwaukee were expected to cause problems for commuters on Monday, Roys said.
Jim Allen, 45, who lives in the Upper Peninsula, said his family is full of needs.
“Actually, we are willing to stay for a few days if we need to,” he said.
Thousands of flights canceled across the country early Monday included more than 350 at Chicago O’Hare International and another 200 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions.
That disruption came after more than 3,200 cancellations on Sunday.
Temperatures will drop after the storm
Forecasters said that it is expected that the storms on the East Coast will leave it very cold as it is.
By Tuesday morning, below-freezing temperatures were expected to reach the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, with warnings in effect across the Southeast and parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas, forecasters warned.
To the north, rain was expected to change to snow behind a cold front with heavy snow in West Virginia’s central Appalachians.
A storm surge has been heading across BC’s coast since Sunday, with officials warning of fast-rising creeks and rivers. As CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, rescue workers are heeding warnings to stay away from waterways.
Heavy rains, landslides in Hawaii
Incessant rains caused landslides and uprooted homes and farms in Hawaii over the weekend.
Some areas of Maui received more than 50 cm of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post.
A resident and real estate agent, Jesse Wald, who recorded a video of the collapse of the coastal road, said parts of the road were covered with mud and soil.
“In the 20 years I have been here, I have never seen so much rain,” he said.
