Deadly winter storm leaves thousands without power, wreaks havoc on Christmas travel
Julia Johnson
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An enduring winter storm has delivered historic snowfall in some areas, while leaving many without power and facing travel obstacles this Christmas.
At least 18 storm-related deaths have occurred, mainly attributed to exposure, car crashes, or falling tree limbs.
As of Christmas Eve, over 1.6 million Americans faced power outages going into the holiday, with the east coast as the primary affected area. North Carolina sustained the most power outages, as 415,588 residents are reportedly without power.
Beginning on Friday, Buffalo, New York received a reported 22.3 inches of snow. On Christmas Eve, 17.9 more inches were added. Buffalo alone experienced seven deaths amid the storm’s nearly four feet of snowfall. Three of those deaths were medical emergencies that were unreachable due to the weather conditions.
TEXANS V. TITANS MATCH IN NASHVILLE DELAYED DUE TO POWER OUTAGES
https://twitter.com/NWSBUFFALO/status/1606922570737278984?s=20&t=I4SrEtiwCC08bnS70VuMIQ
Washington, D.C., recorded the coldest Christmas Eve day on the record on Saturday. The high for the area was 22 degrees, beating the old record of 23 degrees which was set in 1983. Several other U.S. cities braced themselves as forecasts in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tallahassee predicted possible record-setting cold Christmas Eves and Christmases.
Airports across New York City and New Jersey further recorded their respective coldest Christmas Eves in history.
Travel complications surrounding the storm have continued through the storm. On Christmas Eve alone, 8,545 U.S. flights were delayed and 3,488 were canceled. Christmas morning has seen 2,407 delays of U.S. flights and an additional 1,494 cancellations, all before 11:00 a.m.
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Some travelers have been left stranded for the holiday as flight delays and cancellations press on. “I’m here with a couple of kids, my nieces, and there were other kids on the flight. It’s heartbreaking. It’s Christmas,” one LAX traveler told a local outlet. “We got there to the gate with a few minutes to spare. They filled all our seats with people on standby. So, me and about 20 other people who were supposed to go to Maui today, cannot go until Monday.”
“We’ve had a lot of issues rescheduling the flights and also because it’s so last-minute,” another explained. “It’s harder to find tickets at the same price they were before.”