A major winter storm brought heavy snow and freezing rain to large swaths of the eastern United States on Monday, disrupting travel and work for millions of Americans from the Ohio Valley to the capital, Washington.
About 300,000 people have been left without power from Missouri to Kentucky and Virginia, while more than 1,500 flights have been canceled and hundreds more delayed, according to the websites Poweroutage.us and FlightAware.
The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted up to 30 centimeters of snow in Washington. The capital’s brightly colored houses and leafy streets were already covered in white early Monday as residents walked through the snow in a city that rarely has to contend with such wintry conditions.
The storm moved east after bringing blizzard conditions to states including Kansas and Missouri. “Snow has turned to ice across the state, causing power outages and more dangerous road conditions. “Transportation crews are working hard to clear roads for utility crews and emergency travel,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned, asking residents to stay home.
Video posted by the Weather Channel on Sunday showed cars skidding on icy roads and semi-trucks crashing into roadside barriers in Kansas.
Hail and tornadoes
The NWS warned that thunderstorms could also affect southeastern states, with the possibility of bringing hail and tornadoes, and that accumulations of up to 1.3 centimeters of ice in some areas, as well as widespread damage to trees from Strong gusts of wind could cause “prolonged power outages.”
Temperatures are expected to drop, in some places to below -18C, while strong gusts of wind compound the dangers.
Another major concern is freezing rain and sleet. Thick ice will make travel dangerous, bringing down trees and power lines, authorities have warned.
The governors of Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency in their states and took to social media to warn residents to stay home.
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