Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc on US Travel, Cuts Power to More than 1 Million Homes, Businesses 

Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc on US Travel, Cuts Power to More than 1 Million Homes, Businesses 

More than two-thirds of the US population was under an extreme weather alert on Friday as a deep freeze enveloped much of the country ahead of the holiday weekend, thwarting travel plans and leaving more than a million homes and businesses without power. 
With a column of bitter cold that stretched from Texas to Montana starting to march eastward, more than 240 million people in the United States were under some sort of winter weather advisory on Friday, the National Weather Service said. Hard-freeze warnings were posted in parts of the Southern states of Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. 

Numbing cold intensified by high winds even extended to the US-Mexico border, with wind chill temperatures reaching the single digits in the border city of El Paso, Texas. Temperatures dipped into the teens in Fahrenheit throughout Texas' south-central Hill Country on Friday morning, 

Weather forecasters said the blizzard over the Midwest had formed into a "bomb cyclone" over Lake Erie on Friday and was moving east and expected to drop blinding snow from the northern Plains and Great Lakes region to the upper Mississippi Valley and western New York state. 

The weather service map of existing or impending wintry hazards "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever," the agency said. 

The Midwest's "bomb cyclone" -- a phenomenon that occurs when the air pressure drops drastically within a 24-hour period and speeds up a storm's intensity -- could drop upwards of 35 inches of snow in Buffalo, New York; 13 inches in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and 17 inches in Erie, Pennsylvania, weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook said. 

The lowest temperature in the United States on Friday morning was recorded in Havre, Montana, where the thermometer read minus 38 F (minus 38 Celsius), Cook said. But the freeze in the American South could prove to be an even bigger public safety threat, as those regions are less accustomed to the cold and snow. 

"Bundle up and stay indoors if you can, and check on your neighbors," Cook said. 

Flights canceled, packages stuck 

Extreme weather across the country has disrupted households and holiday plans just days before Christmas. More than 1.25 million homes and businesses were without power across the southern and eastern United States on Friday morning, led by North Carolina, where more than 150,000 customers were without power, according to tracking site Poweroutage.us. 

Severe winds, ice and snow have also upended commercial air traffic during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. 

Nearly 3,500 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Friday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. That included more than 400 flights into or out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as the Pacific Northwest woke up to ice and freezing rain caused by a separate storm system on Friday morning. 

The American Automobile Association (AAA) had estimated that 112.7 million people planned to travel 50 miles (80 km) or more from home between Friday and Jan. 2, up 3.6 million travelers over last year and closing in on pre-pandemic numbers. 

But that number was likely to be diminished by the treacherous weather complicating air and road travel going into the weekend. 

"If there's any good news, it's that the storm has moved quickly over some areas," US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told MSNBC on Friday.

Buttigieg said many airports, such as Denver, "will be able to get back on their feet quickly" after a wave of delays and cancellations, with other hubs like Chicago possibly recovering later on Friday. 

Forecasters predict some relief over the next day from the deep freeze in the northern Rockies and High Plains, where the Arctic blast first materialized on Thursday. Temperatures in regions could rebound by 40 to 60 degrees over the weekend as the cold air mass creeps east. 

Last-minute holiday gift purchases may also have slim chances of reaching their destination by Christmas. FedEx Corp said on Friday customers can expect potential delays for some package deliveries across the United States, as the company experienced substantial disruptions at its Memphis, Tennessee, and Indianapolis hubs on Thursday night due to severe winter weather.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
×