Snow, rain put 80M in Midwest, East under winter weather alert

March 4 (UPI) -- Some 80 million people were placed under winter weather alerts late Sunday and early Monday as snow and rain battered regions from Colorado to Maine, officials said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency banning traffic from most state highways. The state also declared government offices would open 2 hours later than normal Monday due to the weather.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the transportation department shifted resources to areas most affected by the storms -- including the capital, Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions.

"Extreme weather is the new norm," he said. "I am urging New Yorkers to prepare for messy and potentially dangerous travel conditions. We have learned from experience that it is better to be over-prepared in these situations -- if you're not prepared before the storm, it is too late."

All told, about 80 million people in the United States were under winter advisories from the severe weather.

Nationwide, 4,232 flights were delayed and 1,008 were canceled Monday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Boston's Logan International Airport had the most cancelations with 48 percent of all flights canceled and 58 percent delayed, while New York's LaGuardia airport had 30 percent of its flights canceled and 32 percent delayed.

American, Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue were among major airlines that offered flexible rebooking policies such as waiving change fees for travelers flying through airports in the storm's path.

New York City Public Schools said schools would be closed Monday due to the weather.

In St. Louis, Mo., severe weather caused at least 179 calls to Missouri State Highway Patrol for service as dozens of motorists were stranded and more than 60 were involved in crashes. Several people were hurt, KMOV-TV reported.

While New York and southwest New England received snow Sunday night, extreme thunderstorms hit South Carolina, the Florida panhandle and Georgia -- some areas that had already seen tornadoes, forecasters said. In Alabama, at least 23 people died from the twisters.

Storms cut power to nearly 50,000 homes and business in Alabama and Georgia, and a "freeze warning" was issued for parts of Alabama as temperatures dropped to the upper 20s.