Blasted with heavy snow and winds, Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York closed entirely on Friday and canceled all evening flights.
Airlines have issued waivers in much of the Midwest, Northeast and even parts of the South for some carriers.
‘Please stay home,’ police warn as roads get dangerous in Michigan
Michigan State Police on Friday warned travelers to stay off the roads.
“Most roads are icy and impacted by blowing snow, which is causing low visibility,” police posted on Facebook. “If travel is not necessary, please stay home.”
State police also reported a semitractor trailer crash in the area.
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids also warned motorists to stay put, especially those in West Michigan communities near Lake Michigan.
Things will look “only slightly better” Saturday, the weather service said.
The storm, also pummeling parts of Canada, intensified on Friday into a bomb cyclone, the National Weather Service reported. The agency said the atmospheric pressure of the storm dropped rapidly enough over the past 24 hours to classify the system that way.
John Moore, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the central pressure of the system had fallen rapidly and was expected to continue dropping over the next few hours.
Power outages left about 1 million homes and businesses in the dark by Friday evening, according to the website PowerOutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility, ended its rolling blackouts Friday afternoon but continued to urge homes and businesses to conserve power.
As the winter storm dived into New England, Maine had the most power outages compared to other states with over 230,000 customers offline Friday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
