Blizzards and winter storms sweep central US, travel turns dangerous during holiday season

Mass power outages, flooding and the closures of both motorways and beaches are affecting California as a rare winter storm sweeps the U.S. State.

North America hit by blizzards

In Bosnia, thousands of migrants are in dire need of proper shelter to survive the harsh zero temperature as their temporary accommodation has burned down.

Migrants stuck in miserable conditions at EU border

A blizzard sweeping through northeastern&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;on Tuesday morning blocked roads and caused hundreds of flight cancellations, thwarting the Thanksgiving travel plans of some of the millions of Americans expected to fly or drive this week.

Seven inches&nbsp;of snow had fallen in Denver by early Tuesday morning, causing more than 460 flight cancellations, the Denver International Airport said on Twitter, and blizzard conditions were expected throughout the day as winds up to 72 km&nbsp;per hour in the eastern plains reduced visibility.

"This storm may be historic in the Fort Collins and Loveland areas where 20 inches&nbsp;or more of snow is expected. That would put the storm near the top five of all snow events there," a National Weather Service forecast said, referring to areas along&nbsp;Colorado's Front Range, some 50 miles (80 km) north of Denver.

Some 55 million travellers planned to fly or drive at least&nbsp;80 km&nbsp;from their homes this Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association, but the snow would likely alter those plans.

Video footage showed snowplows working through cloudy blizzard conditions to clear runways at Denver International Airport. Many airlines would resume flights later in the day, the airport said on Twitter.

"We just landed at the Denver Airport! Crazy conditions. Literally 0 visibility," tweeted Amber Kimbrell, a high school science teacher from Huntsville, Alabama, who posted a photo of a runway covered in white.

The blizzard was expected to drop an additional 5 to 10 inches from the&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;Front Range on Tuesday and would lighten later in the afternoon as the storm moved northeast, the weather service said. Several interstate roads were closed, and the weather service warned travel could become impossible on rural roads and unplowed city streets.

Denver metro area schools and many stores were closed but some grocery stores, already stocked in preparation for Thanksgiving shoppers, were ready for a deluge of customers.

Lines were manageable at Safeway in Denver early Tuesday morning as more than a half-foot of snow accumulated outside.

"So far so good; it doesn't seem to be impacting us much," Phil Vanderlaan, a cashier, said by phone. "Probably later throughout the day it might."

A stronger storm was expected to hit northern California and Oregon by Tuesday night, the weather service said, which may drop 1 to 3 feet of snow across California mountain ranges.

A blizzard sweeping through northeastern Colorado on Tuesday morning blocked roads and caused hundreds of flight cancellations, thwarting the Thanksgiving travel plans of some of the millions of Americans expected to fly or drive this week.

A blizzard sweeping through northeastern Colorado on Tuesday morning blocked roads and caused hundreds of flight cancellations, thwarting the Thanksgiving travel plans of some of the millions of Americans expected to fly or drive this week. Seven inches of snow had fallen in Denver by early Tuesday morning, causing more than 460 flight cancellations, the Denver International Airport said on Twitter, and blizzard conditions were expected throughout the day as winds up to 72 km per hour in the eastern plains reduced visibility. "This storm may be historic in the Fort Collins and Loveland areas where 20 inches or more of snow is expected. That would put the storm near the top five of all snow events there," a National Weather Service forecast said, referring to areas along Colorado's Front Range, some 50 miles (80 km) north of Denver. Some 55 million travellers planned to fly or drive at least 80 km from their homes this Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association, but the snow would likely alter those plans. Video footage showed snowplows working through cloudy blizzard conditions to clear runways at Denver International Airport. Many airlines would resume flights later in the day, the airport said on Twitter. "We just landed at the Denver Airport! Crazy conditions. Literally 0 visibility," tweeted Amber Kimbrell, a high school science teacher from Huntsville, Alabama, who posted a photo of a runway covered in white. The blizzard was expected to drop an additional 5 to 10 inches from the Colorado Front Range on Tuesday and would lighten later in the afternoon as the storm moved northeast, the weather service said. Several interstate roads were closed, and the weather service warned travel could become impossible on rural roads and unplowed city streets. Denver metro area schools and many stores were closed but some grocery stores, already stocked in preparation for Thanksgiving shoppers, were ready for a deluge of customers. Lines were manageable at Safeway in Denver early Tuesday morning as more than a half-foot of snow accumulated outside. "So far so good; it doesn't seem to be impacting us much," Phil Vanderlaan, a cashier, said by phone. "Probably later throughout the day it might." A stronger storm was expected to hit northern California and Oregon by Tuesday night, the weather service said, which may drop 1 to 3 feet of snow across California mountain ranges.

Blizzard in Colorado forces roads shut, flights cancelled one day before Thanksgiving

Blizzard blankets New Mexico

Post-Christmas blizzard kills three in USA

A motorist was killed in Kansas on Thursday in a crash blamed on a fierce blizzard slamming the US&nbsp;Midwest and Southeast that also canceled or delayed thousands of airline flights and injured two people on a commercial jet over the Dallas area.

The traffic fatal crash along Interstate 70 near the city of Oakely prompted the Kansas Highway Patrol to shut down a portion of the major east-west artery.

"Please stay off the roads and stay safe, give (the Kansas Department of Transportation) time to clear ... them, it's not worth your life," Trooper Tod Hileman, the highway patrol's public information officer, said on Twitter.

No other details were immediately available on the collision; the name of the victim was not released. Hileman said roads were expected to remain snow-packed and icy into Friday.

The fatality came as parts of the US&nbsp;Midwest and Southeast were inundated with the first wave of heavy snow and rain expected in the central United States through the weekend, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"Through this morning there have already been amounts as high as 6 to 10 inches across those areas and additional snowfall of 10 inches is possible throughout the day and tonight," Chenard said. "Travel is going to be very difficult across the areas under weather and blizzard warnings."

A passenger and a flight attendant suffered knee and back pain after an American Eagle flight operated by Mesa Airlines hit turbulence over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, American Airlines said in a statement.

Flight 5781, a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft that departed from San Luis Potosi International Airport in Mexico carrying 75 passengers and four crew members, was diverted to Austin, Texas.

The plane landed safely and the injured passenger and crew member were treated and released from a hospital in Austin, the airline said.

The blizzard contributed to the cancellation of 865 flights and delayed another 7,000, according to FlightAware.com.

In the Midwest, winter storm and blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, the National Weather Service said.

Chenard said the storm system caused heavy rain and thunderstorms with the risk of flash floods in the southeastern United States. A tornado watch for parts of central and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas were in effect on Thursday.

Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer on Wednesday declared a state of emergency. "We hope that travelers will be wise by paying attention to weather alerts and not unnecessarily placing themselves in harm's way as the storm moves through," Colyer said in a statement.

A motorist was killed in Kansas on Thursday in a crash blamed on a fierce blizzard slamming the US Midwest and Southeast that also canceled or delayed thousands of airline flights and injured two people on a commercial jet over the Dallas area.

A motorist was killed in Kansas on Thursday in a crash blamed on a fierce blizzard slamming the US Midwest and Southeast that also canceled or delayed thousands of airline flights and injured two people on a commercial jet over the Dallas area. The traffic fatal crash along Interstate 70 near the city of Oakely prompted the Kansas Highway Patrol to shut down a portion of the major east-west artery. "Please stay off the roads and stay safe, give (the Kansas Department of Transportation) time to clear ... them, it's not worth your life," Trooper Tod Hileman, the highway patrol's public information officer, said on Twitter. No other details were immediately available on the collision; the name of the victim was not released. Hileman said roads were expected to remain snow-packed and icy into Friday. The fatality came as parts of the US Midwest and Southeast were inundated with the first wave of heavy snow and rain expected in the central United States through the weekend, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "Through this morning there have already been amounts as high as 6 to 10 inches across those areas and additional snowfall of 10 inches is possible throughout the day and tonight," Chenard said. "Travel is going to be very difficult across the areas under weather and blizzard warnings." A passenger and a flight attendant suffered knee and back pain after an American Eagle flight operated by Mesa Airlines hit turbulence over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, American Airlines said in a statement. Flight 5781, a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft that departed from San Luis Potosi International Airport in Mexico carrying 75 passengers and four crew members, was diverted to Austin, Texas. The plane landed safely and the injured passenger and crew member were treated and released from a hospital in Austin, the airline said. The blizzard contributed to the cancellation of 865 flights and delayed another 7,000, according to FlightAware.com. In the Midwest, winter storm and blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, the National Weather Service said. Chenard said the storm system caused heavy rain and thunderstorms with the risk of flash floods in the southeastern United States. A tornado watch for parts of central and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas were in effect on Thursday. Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer on Wednesday declared a state of emergency. "We hope that travelers will be wise by paying attention to weather alerts and not unnecessarily placing themselves in harm's way as the storm moves through," Colyer said in a statement.

Winter storm batters US; one killed, thousands of flights cancelled

Europe is bracing for a fresh bout of snowfall and blizzards as the brutal &quot;beast from the East&quot; continues to pound countries far north to the Mediterranean south.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/beast-from-the-east-heavy-snowfall-disrupts-uk-europe-703">Also See: &nbsp;Beast from the East: Heavy snowfall disrupts UK, Europe</a>

Snowstorm from Siberia has thrown life in Britain and Ireland in complete disarray with flights grounded and people forced to stay indoors.

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Reports said hundreds of people were trapped in their cars on the M80 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Flights and trains were cancelled across both Britain and Ireland.

London&#39;s busiest railway station, Waterloo, showed more than half of trains cancelled or delay at the height of rush hour.&nbsp;

Elsewhere, schools were shut in Kosovo, Bosnia, Albania, Italy and Portugal.

Temperatures again plunged below -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) overnight in numerous parts of Europe -- even hitting -36C in Glattalp, 1,850 metres (6,000 feet) above sea level in the Swiss mountains.

Heavy snow enveloped northern Italy with train service disrupted across the region and in Paris, up to 5cm of snow was expected overnight on Wednesday.

Schools in Florence were ordered to shut, while heavy goods vehicles were banned from the roads in the north.

In the Netherlands, much of the problems were caused by strong wind. At Amsterdam&#39;s Schiphol airport, only two of the six landing strips could be used.

 
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Reports said hundreds of people were trapped in their cars on the M80 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Europe is bracing for a fresh bout of snowfall and blizzards as the brutal "beast from the East" continues to pound countries far north to the Mediterranean south. Also See: Beast from the East: Heavy snowfall disrupts UK, Europe Snowstorm from Siberia has thrown life in Britain and Ireland in complete disarray with flights grounded and people forced to stay indoors. Reports said hundreds of people were trapped in their cars on the M80 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Flights and trains were cancelled across both Britain and Ireland. London's busiest railway station, Waterloo, showed more than half of trains cancelled or delay at the height of rush hour. Elsewhere, schools were shut in Kosovo, Bosnia, Albania, Italy and Portugal. Temperatures again plunged below -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) overnight in numerous parts of Europe -- even hitting -36C in Glattalp, 1,850 metres (6,000 feet) above sea level in the Swiss mountains. Heavy snow enveloped northern Italy with train service disrupted across the region and in Paris, up to 5cm of snow was expected overnight on Wednesday. Schools in Florence were ordered to shut, while heavy goods vehicles were banned from the roads in the north. In the Netherlands, much of the problems were caused by strong wind. At Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, only two of the six landing strips could be used.

Europe braces for fresh blizzards as ice blast disrupts train & flight service

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