Heavy snow fell in the Sierra Nevada as a winter storm packing powerful winds sent ski lift chairs swinging and closed mountain highways while downpours at lower elevations triggered flood watches Sunday across large swaths of California into Nevada. More than 250 miles (400 km) of the Sierra from north of Reno south to Yosemite National Park remained under winter storm warnings either until late Sunday or early Monday.

The Heavenly ski resort at Lake Tahoe shut down some operations when the brunt of the storm hit Saturday. The resort posted video of lift chairs swaying violently because of gusts that topped 100 mph (161 kph), along with a tweeted reminder that wind closures are “always for your safety.”

To the south, Mammoth Mountain reported that more than 20 inches (51 cm) of snow fell Saturday, with another 2 feet (.6 meters) possible as the tail end of the system moved through the eastern Sierra.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs, California reported Sunday morning that more than 43 inches (110 cm) had fallen in a 48-hour span.

A 70-mile (112-km) stretch of eastbound U.S. Interstate 80 was closed Saturday “due to zero visibility” from the northern California town of Colfax to the Nevada state line, transportation officials said. Chains were required on much of the rest of I-80 and other routes in the mountains from Reno toward Sacramento.

Many other key roads were closed because of heavy snow, including a stretch of California Highway 89 between Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe, the highway patrol said.

The U.S. Forest Service issued an avalanche warning for the backcountry in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe where it said “several feet of new snow and strong winds will result in dangerous avalanche conditions.”

Gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) that sent trees into homes in Sonoma County north of San Francisco on Saturday could reach 100 mph (160 kph) over Sierra ridgetops on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Heavy rain was forecast through the weekend from San Francisco to the Sierra crest with up to 2 inches (5 cm) in the Bay Area and up to 5 inches (13 cm) at Grass Valley northeast of Sacramento.

Warnings and watches were also up across Southern California, as heavy rain caused localized flooding in greater Los Angeles.

Forecasters in Arizona issued a winter storm watch for northern and central Arizona beginning Sunday evening for areas above 5000 feet (1,525 meters) including Flagstaff, Prescott and the Grand Canyon, where icy temperatures and up to a foot of snow was predicted.

Orlando

Airplanes flying into Orlando International Airport on Monday were encouraged to top off at airports they were coming from after recent bad weather prevented the delivery of reserve jet fuel, prompting fears that visitors could face delays.

Airport spokesperson Carolyn Fennell said there have not been any major interruptions and that reserve fuel was being trucked in to Orlando International Airport, the nation’s seventh-busiest airport.

“Today is expected to be a busy day,” Fennell said Monday. “With the fuel moving in, it will be certified and then we will be able to go back to our normal way of fuelling.”

That could come sometime early this week, she said.

Storms along the Gulf Coast had prevented the reserve fuel delivery over the weekend. The inclement weather has since lifted, allowing the ships to depart, airport officials said in a tweet.

Airport officials on Monday emphasized that the delay only involved reserves and that the airport wasn’t out of fuel. The airport has more than 1,000 aircraft operating on any given day.

“Due to this volume, the amount of jet fuel needed daily … is greater than most airports require,” airport officials said in an emailed statement. “Both the delay in fuel for reserves and the volume of flights have impacted the reserve supply.”

With 40.3 million passengers last year, Orlando International Airport was the busiest airport in Florida and the seventh-busiest in the U.S.

Meanwhile across the pond…

Passengers flying out of London’s major airports were urged to check with their airline before heading to the airport as snow and fog cause major delays and cancellations on routes out of the UK.

At least 100 flights from Gatwick, Stansted, Heathrow, Luton and London City were cancelled on Monday and many more delayed by the cold and snow. Routes to destinations across Europe, Canada and the US were also affected. Inbound flights to London’s airports were also impacted. Airport operators have urged passengers to check the travel conditions to the airports before leaving home.

Gatwick and Stansted were forced to close their runways on Sunday night due to snow. Although they both reopened early on Monday morning, the closures have led to some flights being delayed and others cancelled. London City said that several flights were cancelled due to planes being out of position after a “significant amount of cancellations” on Sunday.

A statement from London Stansted on Monday morning warned travellers could still face disruption. It said: “London Stansted Airport remains fully open and operational, however, the continued cold weather may still impact your journey. Passengers should contact their airline for flight information. Please check road and rail advice before travelling to the airport and take care.”

Gatwick tweeted: “The airport is open and flights are operating however snow and freezing weather is causing some delays and cancellations at the airport today. Passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline – and also local travel conditions – before departing for the airport.”

An easyJet spokeswoman said the airline was “doing all possible” to minimise disruption to passengers. She added : “Airlines operating to and from the UK today are experiencing some disruption to their flying programmes due to adverse weather, with a number of cancellations at Luton and Gatwick airports which are both affected by snow.

“Flights were also affected yesterday as snow closures affected Manchester, Liverpool, London Gatwick and London Luton airports with some flight cancellations and diversions.”

The warnings come as travellers across the UK face chaos on the roads and railways as well, with road closures, hold-ups and cancelled rail services all caused by the cold weather.