Subzero temperatures, extreme winds, and heavy snow walloped the U.S. on Sunday, canceling flights, covering roads with sheets of ice, and postponing Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game until Monday.
More wintry weather is coming, with snow forecast as far south as Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, and snow, sleet, and freezing rain expected through Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and into the Tennessee Valley through Monday, the National Weather Service said. “Near record, dangerously low temperatures and wind chills” were forecast for parts of the Midwest, and the Deep South could see subfreezing temperatures later in the week, forecasters said.
The winter storm’s heavy snow, blowing wind, and ice made travel “poor to impossible” in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, NWS said.
About 95 million people were under winter weather warnings or advisories on Sunday because wind chills were forecast to dip below zero, including as low as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit in Montana and the Dakotas, the NWS said.
In Buffalo, the prospect of powerful winds, up to two feet of snow, and blizzard-like driving conditions as 70,000 or so football fans converged at Highmark Stadium convinced state officials and the NFL to delay Sunday’s wildcard game until 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Still, Saturday night’s playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins did happen in Kansas City, with the Chiefs winning 26-7 in minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit and high wind gusts. It ended up as the NFL’s fourth-coldest game in history, but wasn’t too cold to keep fans away, including entertainer Taylor Swift, who was on hand to cheer for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
More than 1,300 U.S. flights were canceled by 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, including about 100 flights into and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to FlightAware.com live flight-tracking data.
About 250 flights were also canceled at Denver International, nearly 200 were canceled at Chicago O’Hare International, and Seattle-Tacoma International and Dallas Love Field Airports each saw more than 100 flights canceled.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines each had 10% of their daily flights canceled, while 23% of Alaska Airlines’ Sunday flights were canceled, according to FlightAware.
More than 1,100 flights have already been canceled for Monday, including 15% of Southwest’s flights, 10% of United Airlines’ flights, and 22% of Alaska Airlines’ flights, FlightAware reported.
Blowing snow and wind were forecast for eastern Pennsylvania and parts of northern New Jersey and Delaware, while parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee could get up to six inches of snow.
In Oregon, freezing rain contributed to ice storms, tree and powerline damage that left more than 160,000 homes and businesses without electricity on Sunday, poweroutage.us reported. More than 93,000 customers had lost power in Pennsylvania; along with 27,000 customers in Michigan; 25,000 customers in Wisconsin; 22,000 customers in New York; and 12,000 customers in Texas.
Write to Janet H. Cho at [email protected]
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