Some five million people are under winter weather alerts Monday morning, with the snow and rain that has disrupted the post-holiday travel period in the Northeast set to last well into the working week.
Lake effect snow warnings are still in effect for Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania — with snow in areas downwind of Lake Erie set to last at least into Wednesday.
Elsewhere, winter storm warnings and advisories are in place across both Michigan peninsulas and Syracuse, New York.
Affected areas could see 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour today reducing visibility and creating potentially hazardous conditions. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below average over parts of the Plains, to the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said.
An Arctic blast swept through northern states on Sunday, bringing dangerous conditions to the northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes, on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Already at least 30 inches of snow has fallen in Erie. One location in Jefferson County, New York, recorded nearly 46 inches of snow on Sunday, the NWS said. A ban on buses, commercial trucks and tractor-trailer trucks ended at 2 a.m. ET, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X.
State police in live-saving rescue
A 64-year-old woman who had set off for a heart transplant operation had to be rescued by New York State Troopers after getting stranded on a snowy highway. The woman was being driven by her husband from Rochester to Cleveland for the critical procedure, her heart kept going by a battery-powered pump. The husband was able to contact a nurse in Cleveland who raised the alarm with state police.
The troopers took her to a local hospital before she was flown to Cleveland for the transplant.
“The actions of the Troopers, medical staff, and transportation teams highlight how critical teamwork and quick thinking can save lives, even in the face of severe weather conditions,” New York State Police said in a statement.
During Winter weather from Thanksgiving through Sunday, the force said it assisted 111 disabled vehicles, investigated 82 property damage collisions and seven personal injury collisions.
The Southeast isn’t spared from the cold snap: a freeze warning is in place across northern Florida and southern Georgia, with temperatures of around 33 degrees Fahrenheit in Tallahassee well below the seasonal average.
Record travel holiday weekend
The Thanksgiving weekend looks set to have broken records for traveler numbers, with 2.8 million setting out on Saturday, according to the TSA — a million more than the same day in 2023.
Lines of traffic were so long at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Sunday that people traveling back home after visiting loved ones were seen walking from toll booths to terminals. The airport said on X late Sunday that the traffic situation had improved but still advised customers to allow extra time for their trip.
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