10,000 flights cancelled and fears of tornadoes: Historic US snowstorm turns deadly
A historic snowstorm ploughing through the US has turned deadly with five deaths in New York City alone over the weekend.
LaGuardia airport, which deals with more than 400 flights a day, has been forced to close after being blanketed by heavy snow.
The closure was reported by Fox Weather in the US.
The devastating weather has forced the cancellation of some 10,000 flights, and another 2,000 tomorrow, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the US.
The flight cancellations are considered to be one of the biggest in US history.
Around 185,000,000 people are under winter weather alerts with some parts of the country under as much as 12 inches of snow.
A total of 23 states are under a state of emergency, power lines have been knocked out by ice, and supermarket shelves have been stripped bare.
Nearly a million people are without power nationwide, with 330,000 homes affected in Tennessee alone.
The five deaths in New York were confirmed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, though he did not confirm if the deaths were weather-related.
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He said: ‘While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold and how vulnerable many of our neighbours are, especially homeless New Yorkers.’
Have you been left stranded in the US due to the storm? Get in touch at webnews@metro.co.uk
According to NBC News, two men in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, have died from hypothermia.
Panic shoppers left supermarkets bare earlier in the week in a race to stock up on supplies.
Snowfall by state so far
Much of the east side of the US has been hit by widespread snow and freezing rain.
Here’s the snowfall by state according to ABC News.
Arkansas – 8 inches
Illinois – 11 inches
Ohio – 11 inches
Indiana – 13 inches
Kansas – 8 inches
Missouri – 12 inches
Oklahoma – 7 inches
New Jersey – 6 inches
Tennessee – 5 inches
ABC News reported wind speeds around New York’s JFK Airport were reaching 32mph, impacting visibility for drivers.
And if snow and ice wasn’t bad enough to endure, parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama are under a tornado watch.
At least 20 states are under a state of emergency. They include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.