Winter storm brings foot of snow to midwest over busiest US journey weekend | US climate

A Thanksgiving weekend storm system introduced over a foot of snow and powerful winds throughout the US midwest and thunderstorms throughout the south, as 53 million individuals from South Dakota to New York have been underneath winter climate alerts.

Over the weekend, forward of one of many busiest journey days of the 12 months on Sunday, a 45-car pile-up occurred on interstate 78 in Indiana and a Delta Air Lines airplane skidded off the runway in Des Moines, Iowa, throughout touchdown.

No severe accidents have been reported from the automobile pile-up in Indiana, which was reported round 11.30am native time on Saturday, in accordance with Indiana state police.

“Folks, if you can stay home, stay home,” mentioned Sergeant Matt Ames. “People just need to drive smart when the snow starts falling, reduce your speed, make sure you’re buckled up, and let’s just all be safe out there.”

Des Moines airport recorded 10.9in (28cm) of snow by midnight on Sunday, the best two-day snowfall for Des Moines since January 2024. No accidents have been reported from the airplane incident, which is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Several areas of Iowa reported over a foot of snow on Saturday, with components of Illinois, together with Chicago, recording 5in and counting.

More than 4,600 flights inside, into or out of the United States have been delayed on Sunday, with 576 cancelled flights, according to FlightAware.com. Over 25% of delays have been to or from Chicago’s O’Hare worldwide airport.

A complete of 8.4in of snow was recorded on Saturday at Chicago’s O’Hare worldwide airport, setting a brand new document for the snowiest November day in Chicago.

Illinois state police reported practically 500 auto crashes within the Chicago space on Saturday, with 66 incidents involving accidents.

Parts of the US east coast are anticipated to expertise chilly rain from mid-morning to the early night hours, with attainable journey impacts in a number of cities together with Cleveland; Buffalo, New York; Philadelphia; Washington DC; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Atlanta.