Americas

Americas

Storms snarl U.S. travel, threaten rare winter tornadoes

29 December 2015 04:53 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Snow, sleet and hail snarled transportation across swaths of the United States on Monday during one of the busiest travel weeks, after dozens died in U.S. storms that were part of a wild worldwide weather system seen over the Christmas holiday period, APA reports quoting Reuters.

More than 40 people were killed by tornadoes and floods in the United States during the holiday season, where rare winter tornado warnings were issued in Alabama on Monday.

Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle were expected to bear the brunt of the of the day's strongest storms, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Michael Leseney said.

More than 2,900 flights had been canceled at U.S. airports by 7 p.m. EST (2400 GMT) on Monday, according to FlightAware.com, while another 4,000 delays were reported.

Chicago-area airports were worst hit with hundreds of flights canceled as the city was swept by sleet and hail and United Airlines granted exemptions from fees for some travelers impacted by the storms.

Then on Sunday a freight train carrying sulphuric acid derailed in the Outback, and a Queensland Rail spokeswoman told local media that floods had stopped crews reaching the scene.