A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States has left more than 140 million people under weather warnings, with 16 states and the District of Columbia declaring states of emergency. The storm, bringing heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, has caused widespread power outages and hazardous travel conditions.
Three people were found dead in New York City on Saturday due to freezing temperatures. A 67-year-old man was discovered on a sidewalk in Manhattan, and two others – a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s – were found separately in Brooklyn. All three deaths were attributed to weather-related circumstances.
Ice and sleet have coated roads and bridges across a broad area, from Texas to Mississippi, leading to numerous accidents and road closures. Airlines have cancelled nearly 14,000 flights through Monday. The National Weather Service warned of 'catastrophic ice accumulation' in parts of the southern plains and mid-Atlantic, with totals potentially exceeding one inch in some areas.
Forecasters expect the storm to affect more than 160 million Americans through the weekend, with heavy snowfall predicted from the southern Rockies to the north-east. Power outages are likely to be prolonged, as authorities caution that the extreme cold will slow the melting of snow and ice, hindering recovery efforts.
