Cars drive by a fallen tree limb hanging from a power line following an ice storm in Toronto, on Dec. 22, 2013.
Christmas may be by candlelight for some residents in parts of the Midwest and New England.
Deadly ice storms pummeled parts of Michigan, northern New England and upstate New York on Monday, leaving more than 390,000 without power, the Associated Press reports. The number of residents in the dark is down from the half-million that lost power Sunday, but utilities companies warn power may not be restored for most before Christmas.
(VIDEO: White Christmas Forecast)
Meanwhile mass flooding, unseasonably warm, and in some cases freezing temperatures swept across parts of the country over the weekend and into Monday. At least nine deaths were linked to the deadly storms in the U.S., including five people killed in Kentucky flooding and one woman who died after a deadly tornado swept through Arkansas.
In Michigan, where majority of customers were in the dark, the largest utilities company said ice-broken lines mean it could be days before the electricity is running again. One of Michigan’s power providers, Consumers Energy, said more than 200,000 customers in the southwest region may not have power until after the holiday, NBC reports. Nearly 13 inches of snow blanketed Gaylord, Mich., while Toronto continues to face a power outage as well. Electric company Toronto Hydro is working to restore power for more than 200,000 customers. Canadian authorities reported five weather-related deaths.
Torrential rain, heavy snow and freezing temperatures continued to thrash parts of the Midwest, while the Mid-Atlantic experienced a bizarrely warm temperatures as high as 67 degrees in Philadelphia, 71 degrees in New York and 68 degrees in Atlantic City on Sunday.
The weather had only some effect on air travel, with a little more than 200 flight cancellations — in line with an average day of travel — although more than 4,400 delays across the country.
[AP]