US Snowstorm

Severe winter storm hammers Midwest, East Coast US

1. A visitor walks to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington during snowfall (top).
2. Visitors from Pacific Grove, California make a snowman in Washington outskirts (middle).
3. The White House is seen after a heavy snowfall in Washington (down).

A severe winter storm dumped snow and freezing rain across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic United States on Sunday, stranding air travelers from Boston to Chicago and causing several traffic deaths.
More than 200 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, with remaining flights delayed 60 to 90 minutes because of the icy snow, Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said.
Numerous road closings were reported in the upper Midwest. Wisconsin police reported at least eight traffic-related fatalities, including one accident in southern Wisconsin where a woman's vehicle slammed into a snow plow, killing her and two children.
Thousands of homes lost power. In northern Illinois, utility company ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said at its peak, 38,000 customers lost power. Ice on the power lines was a major contributor to the outages, he said.
At least one tornado touched down in Arkansas, while the storm caused a 35-car pileup east of
Denver - REUTERS.