Tweet
1 February 2011
Last updated at 12:18 ET
The US is bracing for another onslaught of bitter winter weather as a major storm gathers in the mid-west.
The storm is expected to affect a third of the country, stretching from Colorado in the country's centre to the north-eastern state of Maine.
More than 5,800 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, with a further 2,800 flights proactively on Wednesday.
Nearly 14,000 homes in Ohio and 3,000 in Oklahoma are without power, and storm alerts were issued in 19 states.
The series of storms that has hit the US this winter is also wreaking havoc with government budgets. Clean up costs are placing pressure on already tight public funds.
But other businesses are benefiting, with concerned residents stocking up on essentials.
"Milk, bread, toilet paper, beer," Todd Vasel, who works at the St. Louis-based grocery chain Dierbergs, told the Associated Press. "It's been the equivalent of Christmas Eve, which is normally one of our biggest days of the year."
Hardware stores in affected regions have reported selling out of snow shovels, ice-melting salt and generators.
More than 1,100 flights were cancelled in Chicago where up to 20 inches (51cm) of snow is expected, which would make it the third largest recorded storm there.
"Airlines at both O'Hare and Midway anticipate canceling additional flights throughout the day," cautioned Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Some 900 flights were canceled in Dallas, 650 in Newark, and nearly 1,100 at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports.
"This storm is going to have a significant impact on airlines, particularly those with hubs in Chicago (United, American) and Newark (Continental)," the FlightAware website warned.
Powered By WizardRSS
The storm is expected to affect a third of the country, stretching from Colorado in the country's centre to the north-eastern state of Maine.
More than 5,800 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, with a further 2,800 flights proactively on Wednesday.
Nearly 14,000 homes in Ohio and 3,000 in Oklahoma are without power, and storm alerts were issued in 19 states.
The series of storms that has hit the US this winter is also wreaking havoc with government budgets. Clean up costs are placing pressure on already tight public funds.
But other businesses are benefiting, with concerned residents stocking up on essentials.
"Milk, bread, toilet paper, beer," Todd Vasel, who works at the St. Louis-based grocery chain Dierbergs, told the Associated Press. "It's been the equivalent of Christmas Eve, which is normally one of our biggest days of the year."
Hardware stores in affected regions have reported selling out of snow shovels, ice-melting salt and generators.
More than 1,100 flights were cancelled in Chicago where up to 20 inches (51cm) of snow is expected, which would make it the third largest recorded storm there.
"Airlines at both O'Hare and Midway anticipate canceling additional flights throughout the day," cautioned Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Some 900 flights were canceled in Dallas, 650 in Newark, and nearly 1,100 at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports.
"This storm is going to have a significant impact on airlines, particularly those with hubs in Chicago (United, American) and Newark (Continental)," the FlightAware website warned.
Powered By WizardRSS