Winter storm wreaking havoc in Midwest, Northeast; flights canceled
Dec. 29 (UPI) — A winter storm is hitting the Midwest with strong winds, snow, ice and canceled flights expected.
A winter rainstorm is happening in the northeast and the south. In Massachusetts and Maine, that rain could turn to freezing rain.
As of 3 p.m. EST Monday, about 1,231 flights had been canceled in the United States, and more than 23,393 others were delayed, according to FlightAware.
Delta Air Lines showed the highest number of affected flights, with 3% (128 flights) canceled, and 15% (507) flights delayed.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport had the highest number of outbound flights canceled at 48% (47 flights). The Buffalo, N.Y., area could see 1 to 3 feet of snow this week, and wind gusts up to 65 mph could create whiteout conditions.
Storms capable of creating blizzard conditions with near-hurricane-force winds in the Great Lakes will hit Monday night and bring cold temperatures to the Midwest and Northeast, Accuweather reported. The storms will also bring colder temps to the southern states.
In Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, wind gusts of up to 45 mph are predicted, ABC News reported.
Gusts up to 65 mph are possible in Ohio, Michigan and parts of Pennsylvania.
There will also be lake-effect snow and clipper storms, which could make travel dangerous in the Midwest and Northeast.
Parts of Iowa, Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan are under a blizzard warning, and the areas are facing whiteout conditions. Minneapolis had a winter weather advisory Monday morning due to blowing snow.
East Champion, Mich., in the upper peninsula, has seen 24 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, the National Weather Service reported.
In the Northeast, the main danger Monday morning was ice. There is an ice storm warning in effect in New York and Vermont, where forecasters expect 0.4 to 0.7 inches of ice. That amount can bring down trees and powerlines, as well as make roads extremely dangerous. Rain, including possible freezing rain, will be affecting Boston and Maine on Monday afternoon.
Lake-effect snow is expected to continue around the Great Lakes throughout the week.