Holiday Chaos: Winter Storm Causes Thousands of Canceled Flights, Power Interruptions In US, Canada

A day before Christmas weekend, the winter storm continued to sweep through much of the United States and Canada, causing over 3,000 flights to be canceled in the US, while WestJet in Canada canceled all its flights on Friday. On top of the travel disruptions, more than 1 million people are also experiencing power interruptions.

According to a report by the BBC, more than 1,400,000 people from Texas to Maine were without power Friday morning. 60% of the country’s population, or 200 million people, are under winter weather advisory according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).

In Canada, 260,000 people in Quebec and Ontario are affected by outages. Much of the country is under extreme cold and winter storm warnings. School boards in Ontario have also canceled classes.

Almost 6,000 flights have been canceled in the US from Thursday to Friday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. In Canada, meanwhile, WestJet canceled all 266 flights on Friday.

This Christmas will be the coldest in decades, according to forecasters. NWS has described the storm as a “once-in-a-generation” winter event and warned that the storm could turn into a “bomb cyclone” on Friday, or “an explosive storm that intensifies rapidly, with its central air pressure dropping by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.”

Information for this briefing was found via BBC, CNBC, FlightAware, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.