HOUSTON, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Up to 235 million people in the U.S. regions from the Gulf Coast to New England, the Great Lakes and the Midwest are facing risks of major power outages and travel disruptions due to a rare winter storm with heavy snow and ice blasts, U.S. meteorologists warned on Monday.
For parts of the western and northern Gulf Coast, this could be the biggest snow and ice storm in more than 100 years and possibly one that people may remember for decades, according to the AccuWeather.
"This will be a rare and especially dangerous winter storm right along the upper Gulf Coast that will result in major and lengthy disruptions to travel," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
"The electrical grid in the central and eastern U.S. may be stressed as hundreds of millions reach to turn up the heat," Porter said.
Flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Airport, all in the Houston area, Texas, will be suspended starting from Monday midnight due to the extreme weather conditions, Houston Airports said in a press release. The airports may tentatively reopen on Wednesday if weather permits.
"I've been convinced that we are about to experience a very serious and dangerous weather episode," Houston Mayor John Whitmire said as the worst of the weather moves in Monday evening, likely to bring three to eight inches of snow to the fourth largest U.S. city.
Across Texas, dozens of school districts have decided to close their campuses on Tuesday.
Multiple major southern U.S. cities including Austin, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida; are expected to be adversely affected by the storm. ■
