Winter Storm Blair - summary
A major winter storm has swept large swathes of the US, killing people in its path, grounding flights, knocking out power, and endangering roads.
Four people have been killed as a result of the severe weather, according to officials.
Seven states – Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Florida – are experiencing widespread power outages, according to poweroutage.us. Kentucky is the hardest hit, with more than 75,000 customers without power. People are going without heat and electricity during freezing temperatures. Utility companies in these states are working to restore power, officials say.
Travel has been disrupted in much of the country. Airlines canceled 1,841 flights within, to or out of the US as of Monday morning, according to data from flight-tracker FlightAware. Another 4,135 flights have been delayed. Several Amtrak trains have also been cancelled.
A state of emergency has been declared in several states, including for all of West Virgnia and Maryland, as well as several counties in Missouri, Kentucky and New Jersey. State officials in many of these states are urging residents to stay home and stay off the roads.
We’re now closing this blog. Thanks for following along. You can read further updates in our full report here:
Updated
Jim Justice, the governor of West Virginia, another state hit hard by Winter Storm Blair, has declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties.
”Our top priority is safety, and state agencies are pulling the rope together to stay ahead of the challenges we may face,” Justice said.
Updated
