A major winter storm of snow, ice, high winds and falling temperatures is causing dangerous conditions across the central and southern United States to the East Coast.
A major wave of snow, ice, wind and falling temperatures across the United States created dangerous travel conditions from the central and southern states to the East Coast on Monday morning, prompting the closure of schools and government offices in several states.
The US capital, Washington, DC, woke up covered in a large layer of snow and between 13 to 20 centimeters (5 and 8 inches) were forecast.
Snow and ice covered major highways in Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state's National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. At least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow was expected, along with wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour).
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey.
“For places in this region that receive the greatest amounts of snow, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said.
Canceled flights
U.S. airlines canceled more than 1,300 flights on Monday after a winter storm brought snow, frost and freezing temperatures across a wide swath of the country.
A total of 1,306 flights were canceled and 414 were delayed, as of 1013 GMT, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Southwest Airlines canceled 264 flights, the most among airlines, followed by American Airlines with 176.
Some carriers, including Southwest, American, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, also issued travel advisories warning of the storm's impact.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had warned on Friday that gusty winds, snowfall and some frost could affect travel in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Canceled classes
School closures are widespread on Monday. Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky began announcing cancellations and delays Sunday afternoon. Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for its nearly 100,000 students.
Schools were also canceled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency on Sunday and announced that the state government would be closed on Monday.
“Keeping Marylanders safe is our top priority. Stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and family and charge your communication devices in case you lose power,” Moore said in a statement .
Traffic accidents proliferate with the arrival of the storm
Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was struck.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state emergency, said government buildings would be closed Monday.
“We see too many accidents for people who have no business being on the roads, so I want to ask: Stay inside,” Beshear said.
Virginia State Police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm entered the state on Sunday. In Charleston, West Virginia, where several inches of snow had fallen Sunday night, authorities urged motorists to stay home.
Snow and ice forecast
In Indiana, snow completely covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to ask motorists to stay off the roads as the Snowplows worked to keep up.
“It's snowing so hard that the snow plows go through and then within half an hour the roads are completely covered again,” said Sergeant Todd Ringle.
About 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow fell in Kansas, and final totals were forecast to exceed 14 inches (36 centimeters) in parts of that state and northern Missouri.
In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 7.7 inches (19.5 centimeters) of snow on Sunday, a new record for the date that broke the previous mark of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1910.
The storm was forecast to move into the Ohio Valley and reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Monday, with a hard freeze expected as far south as Florida. On Sunday, winds downed trees in the Deep South.
Air and rail travel was also affected
The storms wreaked havoc on the country's passenger railways, with more than 20 cancellations on Sunday and about 40 planned for Monday.
“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it is contradictory to try to operate a full list of services when people are being told to stay home,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
Nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled, according to the tracking platform FlightAware.
Temperatures plummet
Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. will experience dangerously bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below normal. In Chicago, temperatures hovered around -10 degrees Celsius on Sunday and dropped to -11 degrees Celsius in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Northeastern states are more likely to experience several cold days after a mostly mild start to winter, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Palmer in Gray, Maine.
Cold air will likely grip the eastern United States as far south as Georgia, with parts of the East Coast experiencing lows in the single digits, Palmer said.
(With information from The Associated Press and Reuters)