Snowfall hit the east coast of the United States on Monday. Five people were killed and hundreds of thousands of customers went without electricity, it was reported Tuesday. In Washington, most government buildings have been closed and flights canceled.
There were reports Monday afternoon local time of at least 25 centimeters of snow in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina. In Glindy, Virginia, about 80 kilometers southwest of Washington, a 40-centimeter layer of snow has been reported.
United States of America. Snow deaths
A seven-year-old girl died after a tree fell on a house in Townsend, Tennessee, under the weight of snow. Heavy rain and strong winds caused a tree to fall on a house near Atlanta, killing a 5-year-old boy. Three people were killed in a collision between a car and snow in Maryland.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued snowstorm warnings for the eastern coast of the United States. Potential travel disruptions due to unsafe conditions have been reported. Five centimeters of snow was expected per hour in some areas. Snowstorms have been reported in at least five states.
Hundreds of homes without electricity
At its peak, nearly 850,000 homes and businesses in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Carolina were deactivated Monday, but electricity was slowly restored throughout the day. According to CNN, about 400,000 consumers are currently without electricity. The storm led to hundreds of car accidents and shutdowns of vehicles. Virginia police reported 559 road accidents and 522 snowmobiles across the state by 12:30 local time.
Closed offices, canceled flights
In Washington, federal offices were closed on Monday. In many school districts, schools have been temporarily closed or classes conducted remotely.
More than half of flights at three major airports in Washington have been delayed or canceled. Similarly, a quarter of flights were delayed or canceled at three major airports in New York.
Main image source: Jim Lo Scalzo/PAP/EPA
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