Flights canceled as deadly snowstorm hits U.S. mid-Atlantic states

A winter storm that led to at least five deaths in the US midwest pummeled the mid-Atlantic region for a second day on Sunday, bringing with it an icy mix that knocked out power, cancelled flights and contributed to hundreds of car accidents.

Millions of Americans in 10 states and Washington, D.C., were under winter storm warnings as the weather system, which started as rain in Mexico was forecast to hit an 1,800-mile (2,900-km) swath of the United States from Colorado to the East Coast.

The storm knocked out power for nearly 200,000 people in Virginia and North Carolina on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. The wintry mix was also causing problems at airports in the region, including more than 250 flight cancellations at the three main airports serving the nation’s capital.

A total of 1,624 flights were canceled in and out of U.S. airports on Sunday, the bulk of them at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport and Dulles, according to the Flightaware flight tracking website. A further 3,113 departures were delayed.

“The FAA has implemented a ground stop at Dulles due to the weather, which is impacting both inbound and outbound flights,” Dulles airport said on Twitter. “Your airline will have the most up to date information on any flight impacts. Thank you for your patience!”

The storm also was affected parts of Maryland. In Baltimore, a man was fatally shot as he shoveled snow early Sunday morning. Police said a 43-year-old man was outside shoveling at 4:40 a.m. when an unidentified suspect shot him in the head and shoulder. The victim died at a hospital.

The National Weather Service reported nearly a half-inch of ice in some sections of western North Carolina.