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Winter Storm Causes Flight Delays, Power Outages

Even to Northerners, Winter Storm Izzy is causing a some gasps. The storm hit hard in parts of the South over the weekend before turning north Monday and causing power outages and flight delays. Even meteorologists were taken aback by the power of the storm.

According to USA Today, the ice and wintry mix slammed into parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia over the weekend. It then traveled towards Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. Flights within the U.S. were cancelled beginning Sunday evening. About 8,000 flights Sunday and another 2,000 Monday were cancelled or delayed. The harsh weather also caused about 125,000 homes to lose power in several states.

The heavy snowfall additionally was coming fast. In Hudson Valley, the snow was falling at 2 inches per hour. Conditions there were made worse by wind and ice. Parts of Ohio and New York saw over a foot of snow and were forecast for up to 18 inches of it.

“A strong developing storm over the Lower Mississippi Valley will move eastward to the Southeast by Sunday morning. And then head northeastward to the northern Mid-Atlantic by Monday. The combination of snow and ice may cause hazardous driving conditions on roads,” the National Weather Service announced earlier.

Further, the National Weather Service in Buffalo tweeted their shock about the impending storm as it began to fall early Monday.

Crews Prepare for More Power Outages as Winter Storm Looms

“WOW! Latest snow measurement at 1 AM was 4.6 inches in the last hour at the Buffalo Airport!” they wrote. “Widespread snow/sleet to continue this morning.”

Further, the Ohio Transportation Department shared their reaction to the storm.

“The snow isn’t done. We aren’t either,” they tweeted Monday. “We have 1,000 plows out across the state. Roads are beginning to improve in areas where snow slacked off a couple hours ago, but it’s still tough to travel in much of Ohio where snow continues to fall.”

People who don’t have to are encouraged not to travel as road conditions remain dangerous. At least two people in North Carolina died over the weekend because of icy conditions. They were driving their car a little too fast and it slid off the road in a fatal accident.

In Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, sleet and ice remain their biggest concern. Power crews in those regions are preparing for power outages due to intense winds as well.

Ahead of the storm, weather officials warned thousands of residents to cancel travel plans during the holiday weekend. Authorities were especially concerned about Interstate 95 in Virginia up to Massachusetts and Maine. The stretch of highway recently saw one of the worst back ups as people were trapped in their cars for more than 24 hours.