1 of 5 | A truck with a snow plow clears a roadway as a winter storm hits the area dropping temperatures to extreme sub-freezing levels in Altoona, Iowa on Friday January 12, 2024. Republican presidential candidates campaigning for the Iowa Caucus have been forced to cancel events because of the dangerous weather conditions. Iowa Republican voters will gather to caucus on January 15th to select their candidate for US president. Another blast of Arctic air is forecast to hit the country through the middle of the week. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
A severe winter storm continued to batter the country Sunday, with dangerously cold temperatures, high winds and blizzard conditions wreaking havoc on flights, political events, and even football games.
The storm is predicted to continue into next week. Advertisement
Another relentless blast of Arctic air is expected to descend on the Midwest and northern Great Plains states bringing hazardous conditions by midweek.
The National Football League rescheduled its wildcard playoff game between the Bills and Steelers, which was scheduled to be played Sunday in Buffalo. It was scratched after a complete travel ban by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul due to “potentially life-threatening blizzard-like conditions” in the area.
It could be moved again depending on what happens with the weather.
“My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and this winter storm continues to pose a life and safety risk,” Hochul said in a news release. “While there are some areas that are no longer experiencing whiteout conditions, much of Erie County remains unsafe for motorists.”
The state urged residents of Western New York to stay home, as travel can be “impossible and dangerous” in areas impacted by the storm as conditions fluctuate. Residents should also prepare for possible power outages, Hochul’s office warned. Advertisement
As of Saturday evening, more than 1,200 flights across the country were canceled, and 4,700 flights were delayed, according to data from tracking site FlightAware. Though that’s down from nearly 2,300 cancellations and 9,000 delays Friday, airports across the Midwest and Northeast continue to experience major travel delays.
In Michigan, there are more than 140,000 customers without power.
Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport has delayed 40% of its outgoing flights. Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York has canceled 60%.
Chicago, Denver and Boston airports are also experiencing flight holdups. Nearly 550 flights going in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport have been postponed. Denver International Airport, where temperatures Saturday evening dropped to zero, had the second-largest number of cancellations.
Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucuses, in which people gather in church basements, fire stations and other public locations to show their presidential preference, are still a go. But a host of candidate campaign events leading up to Monday’s caucuses have been canceled. After receiving up to a foot of snow, Des Moines is forecast to have wind chills between minus 20 and minus 30 tomorrow.
Millions of people nationwide remain under winter weather advisory. Advertisement
