Flights have been cancelled, hundreds of vehicle crashes and more than 28,000 have been left without electricity as Winter Storm Harper intensifies. Snow, ice and coastal flooding have wreaked havoc across the northeastern USA, felling trees and grounding flights. Six people have been killed due to the storm, with one killed by a falling tree another died in a rollover crash in Kansas.
Missouri state patrol has reported two weather-related crash deaths and the storm has also killed two in California last week.
On Saturday morning, a United Airlines jetliner skidded off the runway at O’Hare International Airport according to the Chicago Tribune.
No one was injured when the United Airlines flight 656 from Phoenix to Chicago rolled off the concrete surface into a grassy patch.
A similar incident also took place on Friday, with a Southwest Airlines 1643 sliding from the runway at Eppley Airfield according to the Omaha World-Herald.
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The airport then closed for several hours and tweeted: “There are no injuries and airport fire crews are working with Southwest to deplane the passengers and take them to the terminal.”
Car crashes have been catastrophic across the northeastern United States, with Connecticut State Police responding to 72 crashes in the period between 6pm local time on Saturday and 7.30am local time Sunday morning.
Troopers had also assisted 133 drivers whose cars had spun off the road, become trapped or broken down.
In New York, tractor trailers and buses have been banned on most highways as a result of the dangerous weather.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo also advised drivers to remain at home unless absolutely necessary.
He said in a statement: “Safety is our number one priority and with the anticipated storm impacting most of New York State, we are implementing this ban on tractor trailers and buses so our plough operators, fire, law enforcement and emergency personnel can keep roads clean and respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.
“I am also urging drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.”
Speed limits were reduced in Pennsylvania and train services in and out of Pittsburgh were halted due to frozen power lines.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said: “We want to be aggressive in managing this storm, during which snowfall rates could exceed one to two inches per hour.
“Our top concern is the safety of residents. If you do not have to travel during the storm, please avoid it.
“Please heed warnings from emergency responders and personnel, and remember to check on your neighbours, especially the elderly.”
There have also been tens of thousands of residents left without power across the States.
At the time of writing, Connecticut had 11,604 residents without power, Nevada 6,206, New York 4,460, California 4,240 and Ohio 2,880 according to poweroutage.us.
Thousands of flights remain cancelled, so any travellers are advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.
Wind chill advisories remain in effect across the District of Colombia, areas of Central and Southern Maryland, and Central and Northern Virginia.
These winds could cause hypothermia and frostbite unless proper precautions are taken warn weather.com, reaching temperatures down to -30F (-35C) in some areas.