A major storm has hit the US, leaving at least seven people dead and hundreds of thousands without power
Schools and roads across the country have been closed and flights have been cancelled
Warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS) stretch from Texas in the south to New England in the north-east
At least two people have died of hypothermia in Louisiana, and other deaths linked to the storm have been reported in Texas, Tennessee and Kansas
BBC map shows the extent of snowfall from Friday to Sunday – with flurries reaching into the south-western states of New Mexico and Arizona.
This storm has brought disruption to a much wider area with the US National Weather service reporting 17in (43cm) of snow in Boston (Massachusetts), 12in (30cm) at Newark (New Jersey) and over 11in (28cm) at Central Park in the heart of New York City.
Significant snow was also reported in states further south, including Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Freezing rain brought hazardous ice and dangerous travel conditions, and Monday morning temperatures are below freezing, even along large swathes of the Gulf coast.
Two American Airlines planes wait on the ground at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday. It’s dark, and there is snow on the ground. Large machines are moving the snow into large piles
According to the website FlightAware, more than 3,650 flights have been cancelled in the US today.
Tennessee is the worst hit by power outages
In Nashville, Tennessee, a tree fell near power lines during the storm over the weekend
there are still more than 800,000 people currently experiencing power outages because of the winter storm, according to poweroutage.us.
Tennessee is the worst affected state, with nearly 250,000 customers currently without electricity.
Some 157,000 are without power in Mississippi and more than 100,000 in Louisiana, with East Carroll Country the worst affected area in the state.
Over the weekend, a powerful storm travelled across the US.
Heavy snow, ice and dangerously low temperatures were felt in large swathes of the country, from Texas to New England.
Map shows the extent of snowfall across the US from Friday to Sunday – with flurries reaching into the south-western states of New Mexico, and Arizona.
Suggested alt text Map of the United States showing snowfall accumulation over a 72‑hour period ending at midnight Sunday. A colour scale indicates snow totals from 2 inches (5 cm) in light blue to 18 inches in dark red. A broad band of heavier snowfall stretches from Texas northeast through the Midwest and into the Northeast, with particularly high accumulations around St. Louis and across parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and New England. Lighter snowfall appears across surrounding regions. Major cities such as St. Louis and New York are labelled.
Almost half of US states declare weather emergency
Twenty-three states, plus Washington DC, have declared states of emergency due to the freezing conditions, with at least 10 activating their National Guards, according to our US partner CBS News.
States of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Hundreds of “extreme cold” weather warnings are in place across much of southern US, with hundreds more winter storm warnings and cold weather advisories across the central and eastern US.
Extreme cold warnings (dark blue) cover much of Texas and the south-east US, while “winter storm” warnings (pink) are in place further north
Extreme cold warnings (dark blue) cover much of Texas and the south-east US, while “winter storm” warnings (pink) are in place further north
At least seven killed by major winter storm in US
At least seven people have died, and hundreds of thousands of homes are without power, as a winter storm hits the US from north to south.
The storm has brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the eastern part of the country, with National Weather Service warnings reaching from Texas in the south to New England in the north-east.
Schools across the country have cancelled classes and thousands of flights have been cancelled.
. BBC
