Two people died overnight in upstate New York and hundreds remained stuck in their vehicles on Saturday morning as a massive winter storm disrupted travel and forced people into their homes nationwide ahead of Christmas, said Mark C. Poloncarz, Erie County Executive.
“This was a very, very bad night in our community,” Poloncarz said.
Two people died on Friday night in Cheektowaga, New York — a Buffalo-area suburb — when emergency medical personnel could not reach their homes due to the weather conditions, Poloncarz said. It was not immediately clear which health ailments had prompted the need for medical support.
The incidents brought the number of deaths associated with the storm to eight.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed 54 members of the National Guard to Erie County in support of the ongoing emergency response, she said in a statement on Friday night.
“New Yorkers are experiencing a life threatening and dangerous winter storm, with freezing temperatures and coastal flooding statewide, and snow and ice particularly in Western and Northern New York,” she said in the statement.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning hundreds of families were stranded in Kentucky on a six-mile stretch of interstate as emergency responders struggled to clear the roadway, the state’s emergency management agency said.
“This is a life-threatening concern, and we do not want to see another neighbor pass from this storm,” the agency said. “Due to the extreme elements, our partners and we are facing challenges that require additional solutions not typical for a Kentucky winter event.”
Meredith and Matthew Mikesell – a married couple from Louisville, Kentucky – told a local ABC News affiliate on Saturday morning that they had been stuck on the interstate for nearly 12 hours.
The couple, who were traveling to Matthew’s parents’ home in Columbus, Ohio for Christmas, have run the car engine for heat but lack food and water, they said.
A truck driver nearby gave them water, sandwiches and a granola bar, they added.
“We would be really hurting if it wasn’t for him,” Matthew said.
As millions of Americans were traveling ahead of Christmas amid a massive winter storm, Friday, Dec. 23 set the record for most flight cancellations of the calendar year.
Nearly 6,000 flights — 5,930 in all — were cancelled within, into or out of the United States on Friday, according to the tracking site FlightAware.
The previous record for the year was set on Feb. 3, when 5,247 flights were cancelled.
The massive storm is bringing blizzard conditions and icy roads to the U.S. right as the holiday travel rush gets underway.
Cancellations, delayed deliveries and outages
FedEx and UPS warned that customers could see delays on Christmas deliveries due to the weather’s impact on major shipping hubs.
Passengers check in at the Delta counter at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Michigan, Dec. 22, 2022.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Travelers arrive for their flights at the United Airlines Terminal 1 ahead of the Christmas Holiday, at O’Hare International Airport, Dec. 22, 2022, in Chicago.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
More than 1 million customers are without power in the U.S., according to data from poweroutage.us, and states of emergency have been declared from South Dakota to New York.
“This is really a very serious weather alert,” President Joe Biden warned Thursday. “Please take this storm extremely seriously.”
Traffic and snow maintenance vehicles clear the roadway as a traffic sign cautions drivers about the conditions along State Highway 14/18, Dec, 22, 2022, in Madison, Wis.
John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Vehicles travel along Interstate 44 as snow begins to fall and temperatures drop Dec. 22, 2022, in St. Louis.
Jeff Roberson/AP
Danger on the roads
Four people are dead after a crash midday Friday on the Ohio Turnpike that involved at least 46 vehicles, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
State police, including in New York, Illinois and Michigan, are urging people to stay off the roads.
The Michigan State Police said nine semi-tractor trailers crashed on Interstate 94 in Berrien County, where “visibility is near zero.” A seven-car pileup was reported in the same area, according to police.
“There are thousands of our first responders, emergency management personnel and utility crews out working in the elements to keep New Yorkers safe today,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Friday. “I’m asking everyone to stay off the roads this evening as conditions will worsen when temperatures drop across the state later today. Bundle up, stay indoors, and stay safe this weekend.”
More than 2,000 miles of Minnesota highways are closed or no travel advised, the state Department of Transportation updated Friday afternoon, with whiteout conditions, drifting snow and extreme temperatures making travel dangerous.
Latest forecast
The storm barreled across the Midwest and Great Lakes on Thursday.
A Chicago Transit Authority train arrives at the Roosevelt train station as the leading edge of a winter storm begins in Chicago, Dec. 22, 2022.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
A man walks along Lake Michigan at sunrise as temperatures hover about -6 degrees, Dec. 22, 2022 in Chicago.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Blizzard conditions will continue in the Great Lakes into Friday.
Several feet of snow could drop in Michigan and western New York.
Only a few inches of snow is expected for the rest of the Midwest. But the combination of the snow, wind and brutal cold will make travel extremely dangerous throughout the day Friday.
Meanwhile, heavy rain invaded the Northeast Thursday night, flooding roads from Virginia to New York.
The heavy rain is ongoing in New England.
As the temperature plunges on Friday, roads could turn to ice, so those hitting the road for the holidays should use extreme caution.