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Storm to bring snow and strong winds in move from midwest to north-east Storm to bring snow and strong winds in move from midwest to north-east
(about 4 hours later)
‘Widespread hazardous travel conditions’ and between 6in and 12in of snow expected from ‘deepening’ storm‘Widespread hazardous travel conditions’ and between 6in and 12in of snow expected from ‘deepening’ storm
A winter storm was set to spread from the US midwest into north-eastern states on Saturday, leading to “widespread hazardous travel conditions” under as much as 12in of snow. A winter storm that brought snow and sleet to the Midwest and Plains created travel headaches on Saturday as airlines canceled flights and officials closed major roads.
The storm began moving on Friday, leading to trouble at airports in Chicago in Kansas City.
According to the federal National Weather Service (NWS), the “deepening” storm was set to move “across the Central Plains [and] will move north-east into the Great Lakes on Saturday and into northern New York state and New England on Sunday”.According to the federal National Weather Service (NWS), the “deepening” storm was set to move “across the Central Plains [and] will move north-east into the Great Lakes on Saturday and into northern New York state and New England on Sunday”.
Between 6in and 12in of snow were possible under the storm’s “widespread footprint”, the NWS said.Between 6in and 12in of snow were possible under the storm’s “widespread footprint”, the NWS said.
“Strong winds on the north-west side of this storm are expected to produce blizzard conditions into Saturday afternoon across the eastern half of North Dakota, the eastern half of South Dakota, far western Minnesota and north-west Iowa,” an NWS forecast said. “Strong winds on the north-west side of this storm are expected to produce blizzard conditions into Saturday afternoon across the eastern half of North Dakota, the eastern half of South Dakota, far western Minnesota and north-west Iowa,” a forecast said.
“Winds across these regions may gust to over 50mph, producing considerable blowing and drifting of snow and life-threatening travel conditions.”“Winds across these regions may gust to over 50mph, producing considerable blowing and drifting of snow and life-threatening travel conditions.”
It added: “Overall, this storm has the potential to produce widespread hazardous conditions across much of the north-eastern quarter of the nation over the next day and a half.”It added: “Overall, this storm has the potential to produce widespread hazardous conditions across much of the north-eastern quarter of the nation over the next day and a half.”
For southern New England it would be the first significant snowfall of the year, with up to half a foot expected in many areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Parts of New York state could get up to a foot of snow. For southern New England it would be the first significant snowfall of the winter, with up to half a foot expected in many areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Parts of New York state could get up to a foot of snow.
On Friday night, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare airport for hours. The sprawling storm also forced the closure of schools, universities and government offices as it moved across the midwest. On Saturday blizzard conditions were reported in some areas and officials in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa urged people to stay inside.
The FAA lifted the stop at 9.45pm but by 9pm the Chicago department of aviation had reported nearly 690 flights gone at one of the nation’s busiest airports. There were 169 cancellations at Midway, Chicago’s other international hub. A winter weather advisory was issued for the Chicago area through early Saturday, with 2in to 5in of snow expected. Officials closed hundreds of miles of Interstate 29 from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A stretch of Interstate 94 from Fargo, North Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota was also closed and farther west in Wyoming, officials closed down stretches of Interstate 80 as a precaution.
“If there is travel you don’t need to make, consider postponing it,” said meteorologist Ricky Castro. The danger was highlighted by dashcam video recorded from a delivery truck and made public by the Iowa state patrol.
Earlier on Friday, a plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City international airport. The Delta flight was taxiing to be de-iced before flying to Detroit when the nosegear slipped off the taxiway, said Delta spokeswoman Martha Witt. The video showed a state trooper and a person involved in a crash on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs on Friday looking at the damage. Another truck then lost control and barrelled into the crash scene, barely missing the trooper and other man.
There were no reports of injuries aboard the Airbus A319, which was carrying 123 passengers and a crew of six. On Friday night, the Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport for several hours, and a plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City International Airport.
The Kansas City airport was closed and numerous flights were canceled before resuming at noon. Most Friday flights from Nashville were canceled, disrupting travel for fans of the Tennessee Titans flying into Kansas City for Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Chiefs. The Chicago Department of Aviation reported about 200 cancellations at O’Hare on Saturday morning out of nearly 2,000 total flights, and the FAA said some flights were being delayed because of the weather.
Lambert international airport in St Louis reported more than 130 flights canceled and American Airlines suspended all flights to Missouri’s Columbia airport until noon on Saturday. After the storm, temperatures were expected to drop to the single digits and even below 0F (-18C) in parts of the Plains and Midwest.
Kansas governor Laura Kelly closed state offices in the Topeka area, urging people to “stay safe and warm, exercise caution and allow road crews to do their job”.