Winter storm in US: Over 6000 flights cancelled, power outages, ‘worse of the ice could hit...’ | 10 points

At least 17 states declared a state of emergency and more than 2,300 within, into or out of the US were reportedly cancelled amid a warning of a winter storm, heavy rainfall and snow in parts of the US over the weekend. This disrupted travel plans of many and threatened power outages for much of the nation.

Meanwhile, the CNN reported that the storm’s snow and ice will stretch over 2,000 miles from Texas to New England as it tracks east through the weekend. More than half of all Americans will experience subzero wind chills in the next week.

2. According to ABC News, at least 17 states declared a state of emergency as the storm nears. They include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, DC.

3. "A Snow Emergency, which goes into effect Saturday at noon, means residents must move vehicles off of Snow Emergency Routes. A State of Emergency impacts District operations...," Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser posted on X.

"Current projections have at least nine inches of snow falling, with the potential for more," Bowser said. "There is a possibility of freezing rain overnight Sunday into Monday, which will increase hazardous conditions.

4. The report added that one of the biggest dangers from this storm is ice in the South. The worse of the ice could hit Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; north of the Atlanta area; Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and Washington, DC.

5. Nearly 6,000 flights have already cancelled across the US over the weekend, as per FlightAware. As it stands at 6 am IST, more than 2,836 flights have been canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware. More than 3,587 flights are cancelled so far on Sunday, with numbers changing in real-time.

According to the CNN, Sunday just became the worst day for US flight cancellations in the past year, overtaking a record set by Saturday’s numbers less than an hour ago.

6. State and local officials warned residents to prepare for power outages, frozen pipes and impassable roads. Shoppers in Falls Church, Virginia, lined up outside a Trader Joe’s grocery store before it opened Friday, while the shelves quickly emptied at a nearby Harris Teeter grocery store.

7. The snowfall is likely be one of the most expansive in the US since the 1993 “superstorm,” Rob Carolan, chief executive officer of Hometown Forecast Services, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

8. Schools around the country are cancelling classes ahead of the massive winter storm that’s forecast to affect multiple states.

9. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott reportedly issued disaster declarations for most counties in the state, which faces its biggest test since the deadly winter storm and widespread blackouts that followed almost five years ago.

The biggest challenge for Texas may come Monday morning, when the power supply-demand balance will be at its tightest. Power supplies may also be affected because of minimal winds from Saturday through Monday afternoon, reducing wind-farm output, according to Amperon CEO Sean Kelly.

10. Natural gas prices have been on a tear this week ahead of the storm, with front-month futures rocketing by more than 70% to over $5 per million British thermal units. In early trading Friday, gas climbed to $75 on Williams Co.’s Transco pipelines serving the Carolinas, Baltimore and New Jersey. Gas on Enbridge Inc.’s system connecting eastern Pennsylvania to Jersey rose as high as $100, according to traders, Bloomberg reported.