US winter storm leaves deaths, power outages and flight delays

Several people have died in a winter storm that hit a wide swath of the US, causing thousands of flights to be cancelled or delayed due to conditions.

The storm, which caused chaos from Texas to the tip of Maine over the weekend, snarled roadways, knocked out power, and buried major cities under a thick blanket of snow.

At least a dozen people have been killed in several US states. Some areas in the northeast saw over 20 inches (50.8 cm) of snow in the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), and Canadian officials said the storm has seriously disrupted southern Ontario.

Forecasters warn another “significant winter storm” could hit the eastern US again this weekend.

More than 200,000 people had lost power in Tennessee as of Monday afternoon. The city experienced a deep freeze that plunged residents into cold and darkness.

“There are many trees down and power lines blocking the roads.” Joy Flores, vice president of the Nashville Rescue Mission homeless shelter, told the BBC. Her centre was taking calls from residents who had lost power.

The roads were icy and impossible to navigate, Flores said, and own her home had “no heating, no internet, and no coffee”.

In New York City, a total of eight people had died between Friday and Monday morning, according to city officials, as temperatures plummeted into the single digits.

New York City’s Central Park registered 11.4 inches of snow as of Monday morning, according to the NWS.

In Texas, a teenage girl died and another was in critical condition due to a sledding accident, the Frisco Police Department announced.

In North Carolina, a man was found dead on the side of a highway in Buncombe County and authorities are investigating whether his death was weather-related. And Louisiana’s department of health said that two people had died due to hypothermia.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy warned the state’s residents on Monday that “it’s not over yet”, and one to five inches of snowfall was expected on Monday.

In Canada, Ottawa and Quebec saw the heaviest impacts from the storm, leading to transportation issues and multiple school closures.

Toronto Pearson Airport received 18.1 inches (46 cm) of snow fall on Sunday, a new record for the site, according to the CBC.

On Monday, US airline customers continued to experience frustrations and delayed. Airlines experienced over 19,000 delays on Monday, according to FlightAware, and 5,900 cancellations.

Relief may not come soon. According to the NWS, the “potential is increasing” for another winter storm beginning on Friday. Such an event could bring very cold temperatures across the eastern US, and “widespread heavy precipitation”.

The US weather agency cautioned that forecasters did not yet know the potential path of the storm or where it would have the most impact.