Snow storms cause flight delays at OIA; Auto Train canceled

ORLANDO, Fla. — A storm system that has brought cool weather into central Florida is causing havoc around much of the country.

At least 19 states are under either a winter storm watch, warning or advisory. The weather is impacting airports around the country, including Orlando International Airport.

At noon Thursday, officials with OIA said 122 flights into and out of the airport had been canceled.

More than 5,200 flights were canceled across the country, according to the website FlightAware.

Train service in the eastern U.S. has also been affected.

Amtrak canceled some of its trains and modified schedules for others. Acela Express trains between Washington and Boston, Northeast Regional trains between Boston and Norfolk, Va., Keystone Service between New York and Harrisburg, Pa., and Empire Service between New York and Albany, N.Y., are operating at reduced frequency or modified schedules.

Amtrak has also canceled Auto Train, Crescent, Carolinian, Palmetto and Piedmont trains. The Silver Meteor is canceled from New York to Miami and the Silver Star will operate south from Jacksonville, Fla.

At least 14 deaths across the South have been blamed on the weather, including three killed after an ambulance careened off a slick Texas highway and caught fire and a firefighter killed when he was knocked off an interstate ramp in Dallas. In the Northeast, municipalities imposed parking and travel restrictions so roadways and streets would be clear for plowing. Speed limits have been lowered on some highways.

More than 800,000 homes and businesses lacked power in several Southeastern states on Thursday morning. Power companies in the Northeast were preparing for outages.

WFTV