A winter storm has brought snow and fierce winds to the East Coast states and parts of the southern United States, leading to power outages for hundreds of thousands of people and the closure of federal government offices in Washington.
Up to 10 inches of snow was recorded in Washington, as well as neighboring areas in Virginia and Maryland, as of Monday.
The storm spread from Florida to New Jersey, and parts of Florida saw a rare layer of snow.
Strong winds left more than 500,000 customers without power in the storm’s range, which included parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, the Carolinas and West Virginia.
In Photos | Winter storm brings heavy snow to Washington DC
Wind gusts in Washington grounded President Joe Biden’s helicopter, forcing him to travel to the White House from Andrews Military Base in Maryland after a weekend in Delaware.
Severe weather, coupled with staff retention due to the coronavirus pandemic, led to continued flight cancellations on Monday.
Over 1,900 US flights they were suspended until the early hours of Monday, according to the tracking service FlightAware. Flight cancellations began over the Christmas holidays, with airlines blaming increased COVID-19 infections among crews and severe weather in various parts of the country.
Authorities in Maryland and Virginia reported numerous traffic accidents Monday and urged people to stay home if possible. Federal offices in Washington closed Monday, while telecommuting employees were expected to continue working.
Authorities said flooding in North Carolina made some roads dangerous.
* Some of the information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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