Buffalo: A relentless storm, dubbed the “blizzard of the century,” devastated western New York over the Christmas weekend. The hurricane has already claimed the lives of at least 60 people nationwide and 27 people in New York. According to the media reports, on Monday, local officials stated that rescue operations were still ongoing while efforts were being made to clear the snow-covered area around Buffalo. At 10 a.m. on Monday, the National Weather Service reported that the snow depth at Buffalo Niagara International Airport was 49.2 inches (1.25 metres). According to officials, the airport will be closed until Wednesday morning, as per media reports. More than 15,000 flights across the United States had to be cancelled recently due to the severe storm, ferocious winds, and below-freezing temperatures.
The storm has sent temperatures well below freezing across the US and has destroyed Christmas eve for many. As it pounded regions, the storm delivered hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions. All kinds of transportation – planes, trains, and vehicles – were disrupted due to the storm this holiday weekend, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.
Total flight delays within, into, or out of the US amounted to about 4,000 as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed that total US flight cancellations stood at around 2,000, as per CNN. Plummeting temperatures were predicted to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record to several cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia.
(With ANI inputs)