Winter storm slams east after blanketing Midwest
A major winter storm brought some of the coldest temperatures of the season and blanketed a wide swath of the country in snow. The storm wreaked havoc on air travel and caused dangerously icy conditions throughout New England on Sunday.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings or advisories for part or all of at least 15 states stretching from southeast Missouri to the northern tip of Maine ahead of the weekend storm.
Winter storm latest updates:
Fast facts:
- States of emergencies declared in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
- 2,068 flights canceled Sunday, 10,507 flights delayed across U.S., according to FlightAware.com.
- Amtrak is operating on a modified service in several states. (Full listing)
- 27,982 power outages in Connecticut, 3,255 outages in Ohio, according to local utility companies.
Amtrak plans to be back to full schedule Monday
Amtrak said it expects to have all of its trains back on a full schedule Monday after a weekend of cancellations and delays caused by the winter storm as it rolled through the Midwest and Northeast.
Among the lines impacted were the Acela Express between Boston and Washington; Empire Service between New York and Buffalo; the Lake Shore Limited that travels between Chicago, New York and Boston; and Keystone Service between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Amtrak says travelers should continue to check on their train status on the Amtrak website or smartphone app before leaving for the station.
People should also be careful as they are getting on and off trains as platforms could still be slippery from ice.
NYC dodges significant snowfall
New York City and the metro region have escaped any significant snowfall, with the precipitation coming down mainly as rain.
The Albany area saw anywhere from 10 to 15 inches, with up to 18 to 20 inches in the higher elevations of the Adirondacks. Buffalo has about a foot of snow, and about 16 inches in the higher elevations.
Meteorologists around the state were concerned about the upcoming severe cold from Sunday night into Monday, with expected wind chills in the teens in the New York City area and even down to well below zero around Albany.
The storm is bringing some of the coldest temperatures of the season.
Slick road leads to 15-vehicle Missouri pileup
A 15-vehicle crash has blocked a section of Interstate 55 in southeastern Missouri as snow from a massive winter storm swept through the area and slicked roads.
The Missouri Department of Transportation issued the news of the pileup near Ste. Genevieve on its Twitter page around 4 p.m. Saturday. The department says the interstate was blocked because of the crash, which included a responding firetruck. Motorists were urged to find an alternate route. There was no immediate word on injuries.
Transportation officials said crews hoped to clear the interstate's lanes within a few hours, but said snowfall was slowing that work.
Officials say many roads in Missouri have been slicked over with ice from rain earlier in the day before conditions turned to snow and plummeting temperatures.
Plane skids from runway at Chicago airport
A United Airlines plane has skidded off a runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport amid snowy and icy weather. Chicago fire officials say the incident occurred Saturday morning. No injuries were reported. The flight came into the airport from Phoenix and 129 people were on the plane.
A massive winter storm has brought up to 10 inches of snow to some parts of the Midwest and is expected to hit the Northeast on Sunday.
The storm prompted the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights at Chicago's airports on Saturday. The average delay at O'Hare International Airport was nearly an hour on Saturday afternoon.
Winter storm doesn't stop some Midwesterners
Many people across the Midwest woke up to see a coating of snow or ice on Saturday. Areas where the storm had already moved out by midday faced bitter cold and strong winds.
Some Midwesterns didn't let it keep them indoors. Celeste Tremmel was outside in Detroit on Saturday training for a marathon. The 56-year-old chugged slowly through the several-inch-deep snow.
"When you run a marathon, you run no matter the weather," she said.
Tremmel said running in snow is "like running in sand, so you have to go a lot slower."
Connecticut governor news briefing
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont held a news briefing Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET to update residents as the state prepares for the storm.
Lamont announced on Saturday that he will "partially activate" Connecticut's Emergency Operations Center starting at 6:00 p.m. to monitor storm conditions.
"Forecasts are showing a range of accumulating snow, sleet, and freezing rain," his office said in a news release Saturday.
1,600 plows being deployed across NYC
Salt spreaders are hitting the streets as the Tri-State area prepares for the winter weather headed its way, CBS New York reported.
About 700 spreaders and 1,600 plows will be deployed this weekend across New York City. Extra precautions are being taken to make sure the city is better prepared than it was just a few months ago, when thousands of drivers were stalled in traffic all night during a minor snowstorm.
This time, public works and utility crews were getting prepared on Friday.
Officials warn of flight disruptions
Officials have warned of flight disruptions at airports, as well as possible changes in train schedules.
By Saturday morning, 1,135 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled for Saturday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport reported that airlines there canceled nearly 470 flights "due to overnight snow and strong winds expected throughout the day." It advised travelers to get updates from airlines.
Amtrak canceled some trains Saturday from Chicago to Washington and New York and between New York and Boston and Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Chicago is forecast to receive as much as 8 inches by Saturday and wind gusts in the Chicago area are expected to reach 35 mph.
N.J. and Pennsylvania declare states of emergency
On Friday, New Jersey and Pennsylvania declared states of emergency.
"This storm has the potential to deliver every, every winter weather option that mother nature has," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe said at a news conference.
In New Jersey, the state of emergency will go into effect at noon Saturday. "Our top priority is the safety of New Jerseyans, and we urge residents to stay off the roads and prepare for potential power outages," said Gov. Phil Murphy.
Winter storm warnings issued for the weekend
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for the weekend from the Dakotas across the Great Lakes states and into New England. It warned that conditions in the Northeast "could approach blizzard criteria."
The National Weather Service in Albany, New York, said snow could fall at a rate of 1 to 3 inches an hour, creating "difficult to impossible travel conditions" in areas. Ice was also a possibility in some areas in the path of the storm, which was forecast to dump up to 2 feet of snow.
In New York City, the worst of the storm is expected from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, with snow accumulations of 3-6 inches followed by rain that could turn to ice as temperatures drop later Sunday. Single-digit temperatures could last into Monday.