Topline
Winter Storm Elliott ravaged the Midwest and Northeast on Friday, canceling flights and causing widespread power outages, as more than half of the U.S. is placed under winter storm watches, warnings and advisories just two days before Christmas.
Snow and ice hammer New York as a band of lake-effect snow brings upward of three feet to the area.
Key Facts
More than 4,000 flights into, out of and within the U.S. were canceled and another 5,200 delayed on Friday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware, with the worst affected airports being Seattle-Tacoma, Chicago O’Hare, Denver and LaGuardia.
More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. and Canada had lost power as of 2 p.m. Friday, including more than 242,000 customers in Quebec, 187,000 in North Carolina, 145,000 in Virginia and 114,000 in Maine, according to PowerOutage.us.
In a statement on Thursday, President Joe Biden warned the storm is “not like a snow day, you know, when you were a kid,” calling it “serious stuff” and advising Americans planning to travel to “leave now.”
Winter Storm Elliott brought gusts upwards of 60 mph to the coast of Maine, where powerful waves … [+]
The National Weather Service warned driving visibility could be reduced to zero in parts of the U.S. … [+]
Lake Erie waters wash over the shoreline in Hamburg, New York, where wind gusts exceeded 70 mph.
Winter Storm Elliott brought floodwaters to Portland, Maine, which is expecting torrential rain and … [+]
What To Watch For
Heavy wind and more than a foot of snow could hit certain parts of the country. In Buffalo, New York, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning as a band of lake effect snow brings more than a foot of snow and zero visibility at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain followed by sub-freezing temperatures in New England is expected to cause dangerous icy conditions. Blizzard warnings are also in effect in parts of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, with winter storm warnings throughout the Great Lakes region.
Further Reading
Winter Storm Elliott: 4,300 Flights Canceled And These States Have Major Power Outages (Forbes)
Winter Storm Elliott: Nearly 2,000 U.S. Flights Canceled As Mega Storm Disrupts Holiday Travel (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/12/23/in-photos-once-in-a-generation-storm-batters-midwest-and-northeast/