The snow and rain that disrupted travel in the Northeast after the holidays are expected to continue throughout the week, affecting roughly 5 million people in the Great Lakes and southern Appalachians under winter weather alerts. Since the storm began, some parts of New York have seen up to 58 inches of snow, while Erie, Pennsylvania, received at least 30 inches.
Lake-effect snow warnings remain in effect for Cleveland and Erie, with snow expected to continue at least until Wednesday. Syracuse, New York, and the Michigan peninsulas are also under winter storm warnings and advisories. On Monday, areas hit by the storm may see 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour, making visibility poor and creating hazardous conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in regions like the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic, and parts of the Plains will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal. On one of the busiest travel days of the year, an Arctic blast swept through northern states on Sunday, bringing dangerous conditions to the Great Lakes, Midwest, and northern Plains.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that restrictions on buses, commercial trucks, and tractor-trailers would end at 2 a.m. ET. New York State Police also carried out a life-saving rescue on Sunday, helping a 64-year-old woman traveling for a heart transplant who became trapped on a snowy highway.
With her heart kept beating by a battery-operated pump, the woman’s husband contacted a Cleveland nurse, who alerted state police. The woman was later taken to a hospital before continuing her journey to Cleveland for the transplant.
State police also reported assisting 111 disabled vehicles and investigating 82 property damage accidents, along with seven collisions resulting in personal injuries, from Thanksgiving through Sunday.
In the Southeast, a freeze warning is in effect for 3 million people in northern Florida and southern Georgia, with temperatures in Tallahassee reaching 33°F, well below the seasonal average. This cold wave is affecting the region, adding to the storm’s widespread impact.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration reported a record-breaking 2.8 million travelers this Thanksgiving, one million more than in 2023.
At Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, travelers were seen walking from toll booths to terminals due to heavy traffic. Although traffic conditions improved by Sunday evening, the airport advised passengers to allow extra time for their flights.