Millions likely to be impacted as US braces for second wave of winter storms

The second wave of winter storms was expected to bring heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures across parts of the US Midwest and Northeast regions over the weekend, threatening about 115 million people, authorities said. Forecasters expected a substantial amount of precipitation till Sunday up and down the East Coast, CNN reported.

Officials said that snow will start on Saturday evening in Boston and New York, which will then turn into a wintry mix and freezing rain overnight into Sunday. The National Weather Service in New York forecasted 3 to 6 inches of sleet and snow.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said a ban on tractor-trailers and buses on most highways in the state will begin on Saturday afternoon. Travel through Sunday will be affected, with nearly 2,000 flights involving domestic airports cancelled, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.com.

Airlines were issuing waivers for travellers in the Midwest and Northeast. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency beginning on Saturday. He told residents to stay off the roads and prepare for possible power outages. The extreme cold will follow the storm and move into the rest of the Eastern US on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies.)