By Blessing Nweke
A powerful winter storm battered large swaths of the United States on Monday, creating dangerous travel conditions, triggering tornadoes and sending temperatures plunging across the Midwest and Northeast. Drivers in Buffalo, New York, were urged to stay off the roads as near-zero visibility and hurricane-force wind gusts swept the region.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport recorded a wind gust of 75 mph late Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service, while the New York Department of Transportation warned motorists of whiteout conditions in some areas. Lake-effect snow was expected to intensify overnight into Tuesday, with forecasters cautioning that hazardous conditions could persist for several days.
The storm, fueled by a bomb cyclone, affected millions. By Monday afternoon, more than 11 million people were under winter storm warnings or advisories, while roughly 98 million were under high wind advisories stretching from Indiana to Boston. Wind gusts reached 55 mph in parts of Illinois and Ohio, including at Dayton’s airport.
Snow squalls in Michigan led to multiple crashes on Interstate 75 near Detroit, forcing authorities to shut down the northbound lanes and causing major traffic backups. No injuries were reported, though officials said the number of vehicles involved was unclear.
Severe weather also struck the Midwest, where tornadoes were confirmed in Illinois and Indiana on Sunday. An EF1 tornado with winds up to 100 mph injured one person in Greene County, Indiana, while no injuries were reported from a separate tornado near Mount Zion, Illinois.
Behind the storm, Arctic air brought dramatic temperature drops. Columbus, Ohio, swung from a high of 68 degrees Sunday to a wind chill of 11 on Monday. Icy conditions in the Northeast raised concerns about power outages and falling trees as freezing rain spread from Pennsylvania to Maine, disrupting travel during one of the busiest times of the year.
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