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Winter Storm Elliott ravaged the Midwest and Northeast on Friday and Saturday, canceling flights, causing widespread power outages and breaking record snowfalls in Buffalo, New York, as more than half the U.S. is placed under winter storm warnings, alerts and advice on Christmas Eve.
Snow and ice batters New York, while a ribbon of lake-effect snow brings more than three feet to the area.
Important facts
More than 2,500 flights to, from and within the US were canceled and another 5,700 delayed as of 3pm on Saturday, after nearly 6,000 were canceled and 11,500 delayed on Friday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware, with airports worst-hit B. Seattle-Tacoma, Chicago O’Hare, Denver and LaGuardia.
More than 2 million people across the United States and Canada experienced power outages as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday, including more than 333,000 customers in Quebec, 465,000 in North Carolina, 337,000 in Tennessee, 234,000 in Maine and 74,000 in New York, according to PowerOutage.us .
In a statement Thursday, President Joe Biden warned the storm was “not like a snowy day, you know, when you were a kid,” called it “serious stuff” and advised Americans planning a trip to “go now.”
At least 15 people have died in the United States from the storm, CNN reported, including one in a car accident in Wisconsin, three in Kentucky, two in New York, three in Kansas, one in Missouri, one in Tennessee and four on Weather. -related” car accidents in Ohio.
Officials in New Jersey, where temperatures are expected to drop after heavy rain throughout the day Friday, had warned drivers to stay off the roads New York Times This was reported in Buffalo, New York, by the National Weather Service warned Blizzard and poor visibility make travel “almost impossible”.
A pile-up involving more than a dozen vehicles brought traffic to a standstill in Ohio on Friday afternoon.
Buffalo, New York, meanwhile, broke a daily snowfall record Friday with 22.3 inches on the ground — nearly double the previous daily record of 12.6 inches set in 1976, according to AccuWeather.
Winter Storm Elliott brought gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour to the Maine coast, where powerful waves emerged … [+]
The National Weather Service warned that driving visibility could be reduced to zero in parts of the United States … [+]
The waters of Lake Erie wash over the shore in Hamburg, New York, where wind gusts exceeded 70 miles per hour.
Winter Storm Elliott brought flooding to Portland, Maine, where torrential rains are expected … [+]
Winter Storm Elliott brought near-white conditions across the Great Lakes, including in Flint, … [+]
Parts of western New York experienced wind gusts in excess of 70 miles per hour and up to four feet of snow.
Winter Storm Elliott brought strong winds and snow, leaving snow mountains several meters high.
White conditions in Amherst, New York
The storm left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses nationwide without power.
What to look out for
Strong winds and more than a foot of snow could hit certain parts of the country. In Buffalo, New York, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning because a lake-effect snow band brings more than a foot of snow and zero visibility at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain followed by freezing temperatures in New England is expected to cause dangerous ice conditions. Blizzard warnings are also in effect in parts of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, with winter storm warnings throughout the Great Lakes region.
Further reading
Winter Storm Elliott: 4,300 flights canceled and these states have major power outages (Forbes)
Winter Storm Elliott: What to Know About Travel Warnings, the ‘Bomb Cyclone’ and How to Change Your Airline Ticket (Forbes)
Winter Storm Elliott: Nearly 2,000 US flights canceled as megastorm disrupts vacation travel (Forbes)
