US: 13,000 flights cancelled amid massive winter storm

New York : A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States on Sunday led to the cancellation of thousands of flights, as power outages and disruptions to essential services hampered flight operations.

Roughly 140 million people—more than 40% of the U.S. population—were under winter storm warnings stretching from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from Saturday through Monday, affecting regions from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England.

Local authorities issued repeated warnings, urging residents to remain indoors as much as possible. “It is a good weekend to stay indoors,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill was quoted as saying.

The storm also caused widespread power outages. Around 120,000 outages were reported along the storm’s path on Saturday, including approximately 50,000 each in Texas and Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.us.

In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice accumulation weighed down pine trees, causing branches to snap and power lines to fall. About one-third of the county’s 16,000 residents lost electricity on Saturday. Media reports also showed several vehicles damaged after being struck by fallen trees.

Air travel was heavily disrupted nationwide. Nearly 13,000 flights were canceled across the U.S. on Saturday and Sunday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

All flights scheduled for Saturday were canceled at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, while Sunday morning flights were also called off as officials worked to resume operations later in the day. At Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major transportation hub, more than 700 departing flights were canceled on Saturday, with nearly as many arriving flights also called off.

Flight disruptions continued to mount at major airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as the storm system moved eastward.