US snowstorm claims at least five lives, grounds thousands of flights

A historic snowstorm sweeping across the United States has turned deadly, with five deaths reported in New York City alone over the weekend.

Severe snowfall forced the closure of New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which typically handles more than 400 flights a day. The shutdown was reported by Fox Weather after the airport was blanketed by heavy snow.

The extreme weather has triggered widespread disruption to air travel, with around 10,000 flights cancelled nationwide and a further 2,000 expected to be grounded on Monday. Passengers have been left stranded at airports across the country, in what officials say is one of the largest flight cancellation events in US history.

Approximately 185 million people are currently under winter weather alerts, with some areas receiving up to 12 inches of snowfall. At least 20 states have declared states of emergency, as ice-laden conditions have brought down power lines and disrupted essential services.

Nearly one million people are without electricity across the US, including around 330,000 homes in Tennessee alone. Supermarket shelves have been rapidly cleared as residents stockpile supplies.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the five deaths but said it was not yet clear whether they were directly linked to the storm.

“While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold and how vulnerable many of our neighbours are, especially homeless New Yorkers,” he said.

States currently under emergency declarations include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.