Major US Airport shuts down as heavy snowstorm batters New York City | US | News
The historic snowstorm sweeping the United States has turned deadly, claiming five lives in New York City alone over the weekend. According to The Metro, devastating weather conditions caused the cancellation of nearly 10,000 flights; Another 2,000 flights are expected to be grounded tomorrow, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the country.
LaGuardia Airport, which operates more than 400 flights a day, had to close due to heavy snowfall. The closure, reported by Fox Weather in the US, contributed to what is considered one of the largest flight cancellations in US history.
A staggering 185,000,000 people were under winter weather advisories, while some parts of the country were buried under as much as 12 inches of snow. A total of 23 states declared a state of emergency as power lines were knocked out by ice and supermarket shelves were completely emptied by panicked shoppers.
Nearly a million without power, Tennessee hardest hit
Nearly a million people across the country are without power, with Tennessee bearing the brunt of the outages. 330,000 homes in the state were left in the dark as the blizzard damaged the power grid.
The five deaths in New York were confirmed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but it was not stated whether the deaths were linked to weather conditions. “While we don’t yet know the causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold and how vulnerable so many of our neighbors are, especially homeless New Yorkers,” he said.
According to NBC News, two men in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, succumbed to hypothermia as bitter cold temperatures took their toll on the most vulnerable.
Panic shoppers leave supermarkets empty
Earlier in the week, panicked shoppers left supermarkets empty in a mad race to stock up on supplies before the snowstorm arrived. ABC News reported that wind speeds reached 32 mph around New York’s JFK Airport, severely affecting drivers’ visibility.
As if the snow and ice weren’t bad enough to bear, parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama are also under hurricane watch, adding to the misery of millions of Americans.
As historic snowstorms continue to ravage the United States, the country is bracing itself for more extreme weather, power outages and potential loss of life. In the 20 states currently under a state of emergency, the true extent of damage and disruption caused by this devastating winter storm is not yet known.
