More than 6,000 passengers were left stranded at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Sunday after a heavy overnight snowfall caused cancellations, Russia's Aviation Committee (Rosaviatsia) said.
Some 70 flights were cancelled at Domodedovo airport, Russia's busiest, after two electricity substations were knocked out.
The power cut affected about 100,000 people in the region, the Moscow United Electric Grid Company said.
A spokesman for Rosaviatsia said power has not been fully restored yet but that the airport is "partially operational."
There is no rail service between central Moscow and the airport.
Earth Changes
© USGS
Earthquake Location
Earthquake Location
Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 02:13:37 UTC
Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 01:13:37 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
19.633°S, 168.321°E
Depth:
9.2 km (5.7 miles)
Region:
VANUATU
Distances:
100 km (60 miles) W of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu
210 km (130 miles) S of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu
215 km (135 miles) NNE of Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
1785 km (1110 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
© Agence France-Presse/Nicolas Asfouri
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the western Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, triggering a small tsunami exactly six years after giant waves killed 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the western Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, triggering a small tsunami exactly six years after giant waves killed 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the shallow quake generated a tsunami, but it cancelled a regional warning after the wave measured only 15 centimetres (six inches) higher than normal in Vanuatu.
"Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated," the centre said in its bulletin.
"This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicentre," it said, but cancelled the warning when no destructive wave hit.
The quake struck at 12:16 am on Sunday (1316 GMT Saturday), and the initial tsunami warning covered Vanuatu, Fiji and the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. There were no reports of damage or casualties.
© USGS
Map of the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
Map of the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), most were hardly noticeable but one stood out prominently when it hit the Richter scale at a 4.0 on October 11.
Geologists can't say whether the quakes will end anytime soon.
Dr. Horton of the University of Memphis feels that the ample amount of earthquakes in this state is quite unusual.
"In the New Madrid Seismic Zone there's approximately 200 per year, so if we had that many in Central Arkansas in less than a month, something is going on," Dr. Horton told CNN's Sarah Hoye.
The problem is that part of central Arkansas isn't even part of the New Madrid Fault Zone, so researchers are trying to figure out what's causing all those earthquakes.
At least six inches of snow expected to blanket area by Monday morning
New Yorkers traveling in the area on Christmas Day won't be hampered by wintry weather, but Monday's commute looks like it'll be far more difficult than usual -- and not just because we're coming off a holiday weekend.
The weather service was forecasting possible snow for the tri-state area, starting Sunday and continuing into Sunday night, with overnight temperatures in the 20s and wind gusts up to 30 mph.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall late Sunday through early Monday.
NBCNewYork meteorologist Raphael Miranda says six to 10 inches of snow could blanket the ground by the time commuters wake up for work Monday morning, making for a treacherous, frigid return from the holidays. Up to a foot of snow is possible in some areas -- an unwelcome post-Christmas gift for those who have to dig out.
New Yorkers traveling in the area on Christmas Day won't be hampered by wintry weather, but Monday's commute looks like it'll be far more difficult than usual -- and not just because we're coming off a holiday weekend.
The weather service was forecasting possible snow for the tri-state area, starting Sunday and continuing into Sunday night, with overnight temperatures in the 20s and wind gusts up to 30 mph.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall late Sunday through early Monday.
NBCNewYork meteorologist Raphael Miranda says six to 10 inches of snow could blanket the ground by the time commuters wake up for work Monday morning, making for a treacherous, frigid return from the holidays. Up to a foot of snow is possible in some areas -- an unwelcome post-Christmas gift for those who have to dig out.
© USGS
Earthquake Location
Earthquake Location
Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 13:16:37 UTC
Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 12:16:37 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
19.775°S, 167.895°E
Depth:
12.3 km (7.6 miles)
Region:
VANUATU REGION
Distances:
145 km (90 miles) W of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu
195 km (120 miles) N of Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
230 km (145 miles) S of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu
1740 km (1080 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
The snowstorm headed to the Northeast created this wintry scene in northeastern Missouri. Photo submitted by AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Lewistown StormWatcher on Dec. 25, 2010.
The corridor from Salisbury, Md., to New York City to Boston to Portland will be faced with roughly 18 hours of heavy, wind-whipped snow.
Total snow accumulations within this zone will exceed a half of a foot. Strong winds will significantly blow and drift the snow around.
As the storm reaches its peak intensity, an all-out blizzard should unfold over New England.
Disruptive snow will even expand westward to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Albany.
© Associated Press
Paris - Hundreds of travelers trapped by icy weather spent Christmas Day queuing for flights in Europe on Saturday after sleeping on camp beds overnight in Paris and Brussels airports.
Travel disruptions this month have upset year-end travel for hundreds of thousands of people and raised questions about the air industry's lack of preparation for icy weather.
Flight schedules were returning to normal in Paris, thanks to fresh deliveries of de-icing fluid from Germany and the United States.
But many people were still set to miss Christmas dinners at their destinations. Travel chaos was compounded by disruptions to high-speed trains and clogged roads from England to Sweden in one of Europe's snowiest Decembers.
San Juan - A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the U.S. Caribbean territory on Christmas Eve, rattling windows and doors across the island but causing no major damage, officials said.
The quake occurred at a depth of 63 miles south-southwest of the capital of San Juan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Blanca Saez, Ports Authority spokeswoman, told the Associated Press that the international airport is operating as usual. She said six ceiling panels fell at the American Airlines terminal, but that no one was injured.
The earthquake was centered just a couple of miles from the central mountain town of Aguas Buenas.
Emergency officials and police told local media that no damage or injuries have been reported.
Heriberto Sauri, emergency management director, told El Nuevo Dia newspaper that crews would inspect buildings at daylight if necessary.
The quake occurred at a depth of 63 miles south-southwest of the capital of San Juan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Blanca Saez, Ports Authority spokeswoman, told the Associated Press that the international airport is operating as usual. She said six ceiling panels fell at the American Airlines terminal, but that no one was injured.
The earthquake was centered just a couple of miles from the central mountain town of Aguas Buenas.
Emergency officials and police told local media that no damage or injuries have been reported.
Heriberto Sauri, emergency management director, told El Nuevo Dia newspaper that crews would inspect buildings at daylight if necessary.
© CNN
The mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. could see combinations of rain, sleet and snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. could see combinations of rain, sleet and snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Morgan Durrant, a Delta spokesman, said Friday that the airline has canceled roughly 300 flights in and out of Atlanta and 200 more elsewhere around the country.
Delta also has joined Continental, United and AirTran in waiving penalties for travelers who have to reschedule their trips over the weekend.
The mid-Atlantic and Northeast could see combinations of rain, sleet and snow, with the heaviest amounts of precipitation in highest elevations, CNN meteorologists said.
It's too soon to say how serious the storm system will become, forecasters say, adding that by Saturday morning the scenario will be clearer.
Comment: From USGS website: