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Snow grounds 100s of planes
13/02/2007 23:17 - (SA)
Chicago - A powerful snowstorm killed three people and grounded hundreds of flights across the United States on Tuesday, said officials.
A snow-plough operator in Missouri was killed, as were two people in Nebraska, reported the national weather service.
People still struggling to dig out of the 3m to 3.6m of snow dumped on New York state in the past week, were expected to see another 30cm of it by Wednesday, said weather service meteorologist Dennis Feltgen.
Illinois, Kansas and South Dakota saw more than a 30cm of snow by Tuesday afternoon as the powerful storm moved eastward across the United States.
"This is a widespread storm," Feltgen said, adding that high winds were creating blizzard conditions in some areas and 1.2m-high snow drifts.
600 flights cancelled
Maintenance crews struggled to clear runways and de-ice planes, while high winds also presented problems in many areas.
United Airlines cancelled more than 600 flights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and issued a warning to customers that scores of evening flights in Washington could be affected when the storm hit on Tuesday evening.
"We're operating as many flights as we can safely," said United spokesperson Megan McCarthy. "At O'Hare, we're in the process of cancelling 50% of the flights we have in and out."
American Airlines cancelled more than half of its flights out of Chicago and about 40% of flights out of the Washington area. It expects to cancel some evening flights into New York and will see further delays on Wednesday, said spokesperson Tim Smith.
- AFP
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