Five dead as winter storm Blair wreaks havoc across US

Freezing temperatures across major parts of the central and eastern US disrupted rail and road travel and caused mass flight cancellations, reported news agency the Associated Press.

Seven US states -Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas -had declared a state of emergency.

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US winter storm deaths

An SUV lost control and rolled down an embankment in Kansas’ Wichita, leading to two deaths.

In another incident in the state, a pickup truck driver was killed when his vehicle got stuck in the ice.

A third person died in a storm-related traffic accident. Kansas Highway Patrol reported over 200 storm-related road crashes from Saturday morning to Monday morning.

In Virginia’s Wakefield, a 32-year-old man died when his truck lost traction on the road and struck a tree. Among other factors, police said, the man was driving “too fast” for a snow-laden roadway.

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In West Virginia, a tractor-trailer hit a woman and another vehicle that pulled over to help. The 25-year-old driver died later at a hospital. Police said the weather was a major reason.

Storm disrupts life across US

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport saw a record 8 inches of snowfall on Sunday.

Flight tracking website FlightAware reported over 800 cancellations or delays from Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.

More than 300 flights were disrupted at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. 730 were affected in Chicago O’Hare International.

Maryland emergency troopers reported at least 475 calls for service, including 123 reported crashes and 156 unattended vehicles.

Ice-coated trees fell over power lines and blocked roads, leaving more than 250,000 people without power early Monday in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri.

A huge mass of ultra-cold air, called the polar vortex, usually spins around the North Pole but sometimes plunges southward into the US, Europe, and Asia. Scientists say the fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency with which the polar vortex extends its grip.

(With AP inputs)