Why you should avoid parts of the US and Canada

Anyone planning a visit to the eastern parts of North America should probably re-think for a day or two. 

 
A major winter storm has blanketed much of the eastern US and Canada with snow and ice, along with high winds causing widespread travel disruptions and power outages, CNN and other news organisations reported. 

Winter weather alerts stretched more than 1,600 kilometres from Alabama to Maine, with Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina all declaring storm emergencies and part of Ontario expecting "the biggest winter storm in several years".

Earlier today, thousands of drivers on Toronto-area highways were stuck in snow. Temperatures for later in the week range from a high of -12 to low of -18. 

Toronto Mayor John Tory said the clean-up effort is likely to last more than three days after the massive snowstorm shut down major highways and hit transport, schools, garbage collection and other services in the Canadian city and across Ontario and parts of Quebec. 

More than 200,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia reported power outages. 

More than 3,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled on Sunday, and over 8,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware data.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said people should avoid non-essential travel in areas impacted by the storm.

Image: CTV News Toronto