A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and icy winds across the country on Monday, prompting the cancellation of more than 1.300 flights and causing numerous additional delays in the United States since the weekend.
Flight monitoring platform FlightAware reported that as of 1013 GMT (5:00 a.m. in Miami) there were 1.306 flights cancelled and 414 delayed.
Southwest Airlines was the hardest hit airline with 264 cancellations. American Airlines followed with 176 cancelled flights. Other airlines such as Southwest, American, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also suffered flight cancellations.
In Washington, D.C., Reagan National Airport canceled 234 flights, representing 58% of all scheduled service and marking the highest number of cancellations nationwide.
The storms also disrupted train services, leading to more than 20 cancellations on Sunday, more than 40 scheduled for Monday and two already scheduled for Tuesday, according to AP.
A major storm bringing heavy snow, high winds, frigid temperatures and icy conditions has caused dangerous travel situations from the southern and central regions of the U.S. to the East Coast, prompting the National Guard to assist hundreds of stranded motorists.
The freezing temperatures prompted the closure of schools and government buildings in several states. Nearly 300.000 customers were left without power early Monday in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri, according to utility monitoring site Power Outage.us.
Temperatures are expected to rise to a range of 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) from Monday, forecasters say.
Jon Palmer of the National Weather Service said regions across the Northeast are expected to face an extended period of cold temperatures following an unusually warm start to the winter season. โCold air will likely impact the eastern United States as far south as Georgia, while portions of the East Coast will see lows in the single digits,โ he said.
The Weather Prediction Center has issued a warning that extremely cold temperatures are expected soon, affecting regions as far south as Florida, where significant freezing temperatures are anticipated.
