Extreme storms, tornadoes and blizzards disrupt flights and damage homes across the U.S.

A series of severe storms, blizzards and tornadoes on Monday disrupted life across much of the U.S., leaving more than 12,500 flights delayed or cancelled and forcing schools, federal offices and communities to take emergency precautions.

Flights cancelled

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered delays at several major airports, including New York’s LaGuardia and JFK, due to high winds and severe thunderstorms.

According to flight-tracking site FlightAware, more than 8,500 flights were delayed and 4,000 cancelled nationwide.

Major airlines were heavily impacted, with American Airlines, Southwest and Delta reporting 45% of flights delayed or cancelled, and United Airlines reporting 36%. Airports in Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare and LaGuardia saw more than half of their flights disrupted.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the weather was affecting flights across the country, with a major winter storm also disrupting travel across the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.

Tornadoes in Tennessee and Alabama

Two EF1 tornadoes - on the Enhanced Fujita scale - swept through parts of Tennessee and northern Alabama.

An EF1 tornado - with winds typically between 138 and 178 km/h - can push cars and trucks off the road, overturn mobile homes and tear roofs off some frame houses. Wind-borne debris also becomes dangerous.

In Maury County, Tennessee, a tornado touched down near Mount Pleasant at around 22:06 local time, travelling nearly 27 kilometres to Spring Hill in 19 minutes.

Survey crews reported uprooted trees, broken limbs along highways and interstates, and damage to homes and barns. Columbia State Community College suffered roof damage, while industrial areas along the Duck River lost metal roofing.

A second tornado formed shortly afterwards in Lauderdale County, Alabama, extending into Giles County, Tennessee. Over a distance of 23 kilometres, the tornado destroyed manufactured homes, snapped trees and damaged a chicken farm. No injuries were reported in either event.

Blizzards in the Midwest

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions continued across parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Since Saturday, northern Wisconsin towns such as Mountain have received nearly 0.9 metres of snow. Forecasts predicted a further 0.3 metres of snow in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with gusty winds complicating travel and disrupting local communities.

Rain, floods and extreme heat

The storm system also brought torrential rain to Hawaii, causing flooding and washed-out roads, while unusual heat and wildfire risks were reported in parts of California.

Forecasters from the private weather service AccuWeather estimated that more than 200 million people were under threat from some form of dangerous weather on Monday, ranging from floods and tornadoes to extreme heat and freeze warnings.

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