Millions Hunker Down as Storm Hits Eastern US

A snow plow clears Main St. in Greenville, South Carolina. AFP
A snow plow clears Main St. in Greenville, South Carolina. AFP
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Millions Hunker Down as Storm Hits Eastern US

A snow plow clears Main St. in Greenville, South Carolina. AFP
A snow plow clears Main St. in Greenville, South Carolina. AFP

Millions of Americans hunkered down as a major winter storm hit the eastern United States with heavy snow and ice knocking power out for an estimated 145,000 customers as of Sunday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm was bringing a miserable combination of heavy snows, freezing rain and high winds, impacting the southeast and coastal mid-Atlantic before moving up to New England and southern Canada, AFP reported.

Some areas along the Appalachian mountain range could see as much as one inch of snow per hour through Monday, while icy conditions could continue to develop through Tuesday, the NWS said.

In all, more than 80 million people fell under the winter weather alerts, US media reported.

By mid-day Sunday, about 235,000 customers had lost power in the southeast, including more than 150,000 in the Carolinas, according to the website PowerOutage.US, though it appeared some were coming back online by the evening.

The storm spawned damaging tornadoes in Florida and flooding in parts of the coast, while in the Carolinas and up through the Appalachians icy conditions and blustery winds raised concerns.

Transportation was seriously disrupted, with thousands of flights canceled, and a portion of busy interstate highway I-95 closed in North Carolina.

Around 3,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by Sunday evening, according to the FlightAware website, and a further 4,200 were delayed.

Drivers were warned of hazardous road conditions and major travel headaches from Arkansas in the South all the way up to the Canadian border state of Maine.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had declared a state of emergency on Friday, and snowplows were at work before noon to clear the roads.

Virginia and North Carolina have also declared states of emergency.

Virginia State Police said on Twitter a "multi-vehicle backup," along with minor crashes, had stopped up traffic on a major interstate in the southern part of the state.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said on Twitter that up to a foot of snow had fallen in some areas by midday, and that "significant icing is causing trouble in the Central part of the state" as he reminded people to stay inside and avoid travel if possible.

Also in North Carolina, students were shaken up after the storm caused the roof of a college residence hall to collapse, according to a local ABC news station, though no one was hurt.

"Very scary," Brevard College sophomore Melody Ferguson told the station. "I’m still shaking to this moment."

The NWS even reported some snow flurries in Pensacola, Florida, while usually mild Atlanta, Georgia also saw snow.

The storm is expected to cause some coastal flooding, and the NWS warned that winds could near hurricane force on the Atlantic coast.

The northeastern United States already experienced snow chaos earlier this month. When a storm blanketed the Northeast, hundreds of motorists were stuck for more than 24 hours on a major highway linking to the capital Washington.



Indian Troops Exchanged Fire with Pakistani Soldiers in Disputed Kashmir

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35kms from Amritsar on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35kms from Amritsar on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
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Indian Troops Exchanged Fire with Pakistani Soldiers in Disputed Kashmir

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35kms from Amritsar on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35kms from Amritsar on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

Indian officials said the army had a brief exchange of fire with Pakistani soldiers along their highly militarized frontier in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, as the nuclear-armed rivals ramped up tit-for-tat diplomatic offensive following a deadly attack on tourists.

The report of a gunfight comes amid soaring tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after gunmen killed 26 people near the resort town of Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday. India immediately described the massacre a “terror attack” and said it had “cross border” links, blaming Pakistan for backing it.

Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance, The Associated Press said.

Three Indian army officials said that Pakistani soldiers used small arms to fire at an Indian position in Kashmir late Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy, said Indian soldiers retaliated and no casualties were reported.

In Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday declined to confirm or deny the report. Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told a news conference that “I will wait for a formal confirmation from the military before I make any comment."

He added there had been no effort yet from any other country to mediate.

In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety.

The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan “to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further.”

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe can be and should be resolved peacefully, through meaningful, mutual engagement,” the statement said Friday.

Following the attack, India announced a series of diplomatic actions against Pakistan.

New Delhi on Wednesday suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the two countries and closed the only functional land border crossing between the countries while also cutting the number of diplomatic staff. A day later, India revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.

In retaliation, Pakistan on Thursday responded angrily that it has nothing to do with the attack, and canceled visas issued to Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.

It also warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert flow of water would be considered an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power.

Tuesday’s attack in Kashmir was the worst assault in years, targeting civilians in the restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.