US winter storm leaves five dead as millions hit by snow

WASHINGTON: A deadly storm system dumped heavy snow and freezing rain across the eastern United States on Monday, killing five people and disrupting travel for millions of Americans from the central plains to the capital Washington.

Some 350,000 people were without power across nine states, while more than 1,800 flights were cancelled and thousands more delayed, according to tracking websites Poweroutage.us and FlightAware.

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted up to a foot of snow in Washington. The capital´s brightly-coloured row houses and normally leafy streets were blanketed with white on Monday as residents waded through the snow and schools were closed in a city which only rarely has to face such wintry conditions.

The storm tracked eastward after bringing blizzard conditions to states including Kansas and Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol recorded one fatality, when a truck slid into a pedestrian on snowy roads, while two were killed in a vehicle crash in in Kansas, US media reported. Both incidents took place on Sunday.

“Snow has transitioned to ice... bringing power outages and more hazardous road conditions. Transportation crews are working hard to clear roads for utility crews and emergency travel,” warned Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, calling for residents to stay home. Video clips showed cars skidding off ice-coated highways and tractor trailers jack-knifing in Kansas. A White House spokesman said President Joe Biden was closely monitoring the severe weather and was ready to support affected states.