One of the coldest Christmas storms in modern memory has left at least 55 people dead across the United States.
Winter Storm Elliott’s icy bite saw temperatures plunge to record lows in parts of Montana, Pennsylvania Wyoming, and wrought havoc on Christmas travel plans.
Authorities in western New York reported 27 deaths in the Buffalo-area alone, with many found dead in their cars after becoming stranded in whiteout conditions.
More than 5,000 flights were cancelled in the US on Boxing Day alone, while some 15,000 were delayed as of 4pm, according to Flightaware.com.
Approximately 20,000 flights were cancelled across the long weekend, leaving thousands of travellers stranded at airports over Christmas.
Powerful winds stretched from the Canadian border south to the Rio Grande, Gulf Coast, and central Florida, and from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern Seaboard. The Wind chill drove temperatures to minus 40 degrees in some parts of western states.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the storm will “go down in history as the most devastating” ever to hit the state.
-Independent
