Drivers in Buffalo, New York, were warned to stay home because of visibility worries Monday, and Ohioans got temperature whiplash from 68 degrees to 11 as a winter storm created misery for millions.
Buffalo Airport recorded a wind gust of 75 mph around 11 a.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said, and the New York Department of Transportation warned of “near-zero visibility in some areas.”
“If you can, avoid travel and stay off the roads while these conditions continue,” the Transportation Department aid on X, sharing a video of the conditions at Buffalo’s Skyway.
A bomb cyclone dumped snow on the Midwest and the Northeast over the weekend. Monday afternoon, more than 11 million people were under winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories — and more than 98 million were under high wind advisories from Indiana to Boston, according to the weather service.
The Chicago area had wind gusts of 45 mph to 55 mph Sunday evening into Monday, the agency said, and the airport in Dayton, Ohio, recorded 55 mph Monday morning. Lake-effect snow in the Buffalo area could cause whiteout conditions overnight into Tuesday, the weather service for the region warned.
Heavy snow of 12 to 24 inches, with isolated amounts up to 36 inches, was forecast for areas downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Behind the storm, lake-effect snow was expected continue the next few days.
Snow squalls in the Detroit area caused a number of car crashes on Interstate 75 on Monday, prompting the Michigan State Police to close the northbound highway and causing major backups for travelers. No injuries from the crashes have been reported, said Michael A. Shaw, spokesperson for the state police. It was not immediately clear how many crashes occurred and how many vehicles were involved.
And in the Northeast, icy roads were a major concern after a snowstorm Friday night into Saturday and freezing rain fell on the area Monday. A half-inch of ice is expected to accumulate from Pennsylvania up to Maine, causing power outages and tree damage.
A tornado was reported in the area of the village of Mount Zion, Illinois, on Sunday, and another tornado, an EF1, was confirmed to have struck in Greene County, Indiana, the same day, officials said.
The EF1 tornado that hit in Indiana had 100 mph winds. Its track went a little over 1 mile, and it was 75 yards wide in the town of Linton, the National Weather Service for the region said Monday after a storm survey.
One person was injured in that tornado, it said. There were no injuries in the Mount Zion tornado, which passed just north of the village limits, the police chief there said.
The winter weather this weekend caused travel problems during the busiest time of year.
On Sunday, more than 10,000 flights were delayed nationwide, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. On Monday, the disruption was less severe, with around 800 cancellations in the U.S., according to the site.
The winds brought cold weather to the Midwest. Columbus, Ohio, had a high of 68 degrees Sunday — on Monday, the wind chill was just 11, the weather service there said on X.
The wind chill in Paducah, Kentucky, “kind of smacked you in the face when you step outside,” that weather service office said. The wind chill in the city was 13 degrees at 6 a.m. Monday. Other cities in the region were even colder, with just 4 degrees in Mount Vernon, Illinois, it said.
New York City was under a wind advisory until 6 p.m. Tuesday. The weather service there warned of winds of 15 to 20 mph but gusts of up to 50 mph. The city told building managers and crane operators to secure equipment.
