Massive winter storm in US claims 9 lives, disrupts power to over a million

Nine people were killed in a massive winter storm that struck the US, knocking out power to over a million due to heavy snow and strong winds, according to CNN.

All kinds of transportation - planes, trains, and vehicles - were disrupted due to the storm on Friday, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.

As per CNN, flooding on the Long Island Rail Road in New York prompted the closure of a portion of the Long Beach branch.

Wind chill warnings were issued for around 200 million people in the United States, from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, and from Washington state to Florida, with wind chills below zero. Other winter weather warnings are in force for blizzards, ice, snow, and flooding, reported CNN.

Thousands of Americans have been stranded at US airports due to a big winter storm ahead of the Christmas holiday, The Hill reported on Friday.

More than 3,000 US flights were cancelled or delayed on Friday due to severe winter weather in most of the country, the FlightAware.com portal reported. "Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today: 3,315," the tracker said.

Another 1,400 flights were delayed, it added.

More than 170 flights, or almost 20 per cent, were cancelled at the Reagan National Airport in the US capital area. Almost 140 flights were cancelled in two other airports in the region-Baltimore-Washington and Dulles International.

US National Weather Service (NWS) has warned about heavy snow, strong winds and life-threatening cold for the central and eastern parts of the country.

( With inputs from ANI )