US still under tornado threat this festive season

A heavy storm and constant tornado warnings adversely affected the Unites States transportation during the busiest travel periods of the year on Monday.

The snarling travel problem came following the loss of more than 40 innocent lives after tornadoes and floods hit the nation in the festive season. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Michael Leseny said that rare winter tornado warnings were issued, mentioning Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle as the expected targets of the heaviest storms on Monday.

According to FlightAware.com, more than 2,900 flights at US airports have been cancelled as of 7 p.m. eastern standard time on Monday (1000 AEST on Tuesday), while some 4,000 flights have been postponed. The airport at Chicago has been hit hard with hundreds of flights cancelled.

The weather report forecasted more than one foot of snow for southwestern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota in addition to constantly falling snow in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. The National Weather Service stated that a flash flood warning was already given in eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, where around 13 people lost their lives after flash floods occurred.

The threatening weather condition compelled the governors of Missouri and New Mexico to declare a state of emergency in their states. Governor Jay Nixon stated on Sunday that the emergency workers have emptied the homes in Missouri and conducted water rescues. He added that around eight people have died and several roadways have been blocked.

Two Republican presidential candidates, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and US Senator Marco Rubio, had to cancel their election campaign in Iowa because of the disturbing weather.

On Sunday, three tornadoes in Arkansas, two in Mississippi and one in Texas were reported. In Texas, a minimum of 11 people were killed in the Dallas region over the weekend. The incident caused damage to about 1,600 structures and residences, said an official. Thousands of power outages were also reported from Texas on Monday.

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