More than 4,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Saturday as a major winter storm spread across large parts of the country, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting emergency declarations in multiple states.
Forecasters warned that snow, sleet and freezing rain, along with very cold temperatures, would move across the eastern two-thirds of the country on Sunday and continue into next week.
Flights cancelled and travel disrupted
As of Saturday evening, over 4,000 US flights scheduled for the day had been cancelled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. More than 9,000 flights planned for Sunday were also cancelled.
Major airlines warned passengers to expect further delays and cancellations. Delta Air Lines said it was making changes to its schedule because of Winter Storm Fern, with cancellations affecting Atlanta and parts of the East Coast, including Boston and New York.
The airline said it was moving staff from colder regions to help with aircraft de-icing and baggage handling at southern airports.
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JetBlue said it had cancelled about 1,000 flights through Monday and warned that more cancellations were possible as the storm develops.
Power outages and emergency declarations
Power outages continued to rise as the storm spread west and south. By early Saturday evening, more than 130,000 customers were without electricity, mainly in Texas and Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.com.
US President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia.
“We will continue to monitor and stay in touch with all states in the path of this storm,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Stay safe, and stay warm.”
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The Department of Homeland Security said 17 states and Washington, DC have declared weather emergencies.
Warnings from officials and forecasters
The US National Weather Service warned the storm could bring widespread ice in the south-eastern US, with serious disruption likely. Forecasters also said record cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills could reach the Great Plains by Monday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged people to prepare. “We do have tens of thousands of people in affected states in the South that have lost power,” Noem said. “Utility crews are working to restore that as quickly as possible.”
Speaking later, she warned of extreme cold conditions. “It’s going to be very, very cold,” Noem said.
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“We’d encourage everybody to stock up on fuel, stock up on food, and we will get through this together.”
US grid operators said they had taken extra steps to avoid widespread power cuts as the storm continues to move east.
