Snow blanketed highways and neighborhoods from Long Island to the Florida Panhandle overnight, turning familiar roads into winter scenes rarely seen that far south and snarling travel across the eastern half of the U.S. during a busy holiday weekend.
Flight delays continued to pile up Sunday for thousands of people, foiling Martin Luther King Jr. weekend travel plans for thousands of people. More than 4,100 flights traveling into, out of and within the U.S. were delayed and 442 were canceled, according to FlightAware.com.
Two separate storm systems stretched across the country, placing roughly 55 million people under winter alerts from the northern Plains and Great Lakes through the Northeast and into parts of the Southeast.
A long line of snow and rain showers stretched from the Gulf Coast through the Northeast, with snow reported as far south as the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and Alabama — marking the second straight year that snow has fallen in Florida, according to The Associated Press.
Snowfall reports as of 10 a.m. Sunday included 5 inches in Whitefield, New Hampshire, 4.5 inches in Saratoga Springs, New York, 3 inches in Smithville, Georgia, and 2.8 in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Farther south in Foxborough, snow fell at Gillette Stadium as the Houston Texans faced the New England Patriots in an NFL divisional playoff matchup Sunday afternoon.
The snow made travel hazardous across large stretches of the eastern U.S. In Berks County, Pennsylvania, multiple vehicles crashed into each other in a chain-reaction pileup on Interstate 78 on Saturday as slick conditions spread through the region.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned that heavy snow and strong wind gusts could continue to disrupt travel early next week and may even cause power outages.
“State agencies are mobilized and ready, but the safest choice is to limit travel when possible, make sure you have supplies on hand, check on vulnerable neighbors, and stay informed as conditions continue to change through Tuesday,” Hochul said in a statement.
Air travel continued to be hardest hit in the Northeast. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport accounted for the largest share of delays and cancellations nationwide as snow and freezing temperatures slowed operations. A ground delay was also issued at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon due to inclement weather, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Video from the airport showed a fresh layer of snow covering the airport’s surroundings.
Farther south, snow fell in parts of Alabama and Georgia, dusting roads and neighborhoods unaccustomed to winter weather. Totals from this system were expected to range from a light dusting to about an inch in Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
Showers across the Southeast will gradually taper off in the afternoon, while snow will intensify Sunday evening as the system shifts from the mid-Atlantic region into New England. Lingering snow showers could persist over parts of Massachusetts and Maine into early Monday morning.
Along the Interstate 95 corridor, forecasters said accumulations would generally remain low farther south, with a dusting to an inch in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Heavier snow was forecast farther north, with 1 to 4 inches in New York City and Philadelphia and 3 to 6 inches across the Boston area.
Northern Tier system
A separate storm system continues to bring heavy snow and strong winds to parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota on Sunday morning, with blizzard conditions expected as falling snow combined with 60 mph wind gusts to create whiteout conditions.
By Sunday evening, snow will shift into parts of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
The heavy lake-effect snow bands could persist through Tuesday, producing accumulations of 6 to 12 inches across western Michigan, western Pennsylvania and western New York. Forecasters warn that New York’s Tug Hill Plateau could see snowfall totals of 2 to 3 feet.
Cold temperatures remain
Around 51 million throughout the Great Plains, Ohio Valley and Southeast regions are under Cold Weather Alerts.
An active arctic weather pattern will keep temperatures well below average across the eastern half of the country. Highs on Sunday were expected to remain 10 to 20 degrees below average, with temperatures in the single digits and teens across the northern Plains and the 20s to 40s stretching from the Northeast to the Gulf.
Cold weather alerts are in effect for 42 million across the Midwest, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago, where overnight wind chills will dip as low as 20 to 35 degrees below zero. These cold weather alerts also include Alabama and the Florida Peninsula, where overnight wind chills could drop to the upper 20s. Despite the dangerous chill, no record lows are anticipated.
Daytime highs will remain 10 to 25 degrees below average early next week, with some temperatures rebounding by the middle of the week.
