An enduring winter storm has delivered historic snowfall in some areas of the United States, leaving many without power and facing travel obstacles this Christmas.
At least 24 storm-related deaths have occurred, mainly attributed to exposure, car crashes, or falling tree limbs.
As of Christmas Eve, over 1.6 million people faced power outages going into the holiday, with the East Coast primarily affected. North Carolina sustained the most power outages, with 415,588 residents reportedly without power.
Beginning on Friday, Buffalo, New York, received a reported 22.3 inches of snow. On Christmas Eve, 17.9 more inches were added. Buffalo alone saw seven deaths amid the storm’s nearly 4 feet of snowfall. Three of those deaths were medical emergencies that were unreachable due to the weather conditions.
TEXANS V. TITANS MATCH IN NASHVILLE DELAYED DUE TO POWER OUTAGES
The lake band is still raging, but it’s now south of the airport. Here’s a view of our office with some rather impressive snow mounds in the foreground. Many (many) cars are still buried throughout the area. pic.twitter.com/owto22GbF6
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) December 25, 2022
Washington, D.C., recorded its coldest Christmas Eve day on record on Saturday. The high for the area was 22 degrees, beating the old record of 23 degrees, which was set in 1983. Several other U.S. cities braced themselves as forecasts in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tallahassee, Florida, predicted possible record-setting cold Christmas Eves and Christmas Days.
Airports across New York City and New Jersey further recorded their coldest Christmas Eves in history.
Travel complications surrounding the storm have continued. On Christmas Eve alone, 8,545 U.S. flights were delayed, and 3,488 were canceled. Christmas morning has seen 2,407 delays of U.S. flights and an additional 1,494 cancellations, all before 11 a.m.
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Some travelers have been left stranded for the holiday as flight delays and cancellations press on. “I’m here with a couple of kids, my nieces, and there were other kids on the flight. It’s heartbreaking. It’s Christmas,” one LAX traveler told a local outlet. “We got there to the gate with a few minutes to spare. They filled all our seats with people on standby. So, me and about 20 other people who were supposed to go to Maui today cannot go until Monday.”
“We’ve had a lot of issues rescheduling the flights and also because it’s so last-minute,” another explained. “It’s harder to find tickets at the same price they were before.”
