A severe storm hits America, prompting a state of emergency and the cancellation of thousands of flights in 18 states.

Arab Weather - At least 16 US states have declared a state of emergency, starting Saturday morning, to help provide and mobilize the resources needed to respond to and prepare for the snowstorm hitting large areas of the United States.

These states include: Delaware, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, and Kansas.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a statewide emergency declaration to activate response efforts.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott also declared a state of emergency in 134 counties to mobilize necessary resources.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency in the capital on Friday.

Meanwhile, the United States recorded its worst day for flight cancellations of the past year on Sunday, surpassing the record set on Saturday.

As of 2 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, more than 5,100 flights scheduled for Sunday had been canceled, according to FlightAware. The cancellations continue to rise, with nearly 1,000 more flights added to the list since Friday night.

The flight tracking website indicated that nearly 3,200 flights have been cancelled since Saturday.

FlightAware data shows that the worst day last year was November 9, when airlines canceled more than 1,900 flights during the peak of the U.S. government shutdown.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had been briefed on the severe winter storm that would hit the United States this weekend, adding that his administration was coordinating with officials and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was "fully prepared to respond."

Trump posted on his Truth Social account, saying: "I have been briefed on the record-breaking cold snap and historic winter storm that will hit most of the United States this weekend. The Trump Administration is coordinating with state and local officials. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is fully prepared to respond. Stay safe and stay warm!"

Earlier on Friday, a White House official said Trump had been receiving briefings throughout the day "and is in close contact with officials."

The official added: "The entire Trump administration is closely monitoring the expected weather conditions and is adopting a comprehensive government approach to respond appropriately."

While Trump often heads south for weekend getaways to his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago—sometimes referred to as the “Winter White House”—the president is staying in Washington, D.C., this weekend, following his trip to Davos.

CNN's Gabe Cohen reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has halted the ongoing layoffs of hundreds of disaster relief workers. So far this month, 300 relief workers have been laid off.

Source: CNN Arabic.