A strong winter storm moved through much of the eastern U.S. on Sunday, bringing heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain. Cold air from the Arctic disrupted travel, put pressure on power systems and led to emergency declarations in several states, according to Reuters.
Winter storm warnings were in place for much of the eastern third of the country, affecting about 118 million people. Another 157 million were told to get ready for a dangerous cold, with temperatures dropping below zero near the Canadian border and below freezing as far south as the Gulf Coast.
Some areas in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania saw more than a foot of snow. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul sent National Guard troops to help with emergency response in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.
The storm caused major problems for air travel. More than 11,000 U.S. flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled, according to FlightAware. Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., was mostly closed, and airports in New York, Philadelphia and Charlotte canceled at least 80% of their flights.
Freezing rain led to widespread power outages across the southern states, with ice building up to an inch thick in some areas and damaging trees and power lines. At the height of the storm, over one million customers in eight states from Texas to the Carolinas lost power. Tennessee made up about a third of those outages. By late Sunday, more than 800,000 customers still had no electricity.
President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for about twelve states, mostly in the mid-South, and called the storm historic. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., also declared emergencies. To address potential power disruptions and sub-zero temperatures, the Department of Energy authorized grid operators in Texas and the mid-Atlantic region to use additional power resources to help prevent blackouts.
Storms can be devastating year-round. In October, the most powerful tropical cyclone of last year, Hurricane Melissa, reached Category 5 status and struck Jamaica, causing damage and injuries.
