A big part of USA faces heavy snowfallfreezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills, which will likely cause flight delays and impassable roads during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The National Weather Service is forecasting weather conditions possibly dangerous in the middle of this week, which extend from the regions of the northwest and the Great Plains across the country to the central and southern Appalachian Mountains.
“With such a large and powerful storm system … it is imperative that travelers check the latest forecast before venturing out,” the service said in a short-term forecast posted on its website Tuesday.
A surge of Arctic air crossing the country behind a cold front is expected to create blizzard conditions in parts of the Plains and Great Lakes region, while a flash freeze might be in store from the Mid-South to the East Coast. , according to the Service.
In the state of Washington snow fell throughout the night, so road crews remained on duty, working day and night to clear the streets. Snowplows worked to keep lanes clear, but sleet and ice made driving to the Canadian border dangerous.
The Department of Transport used more than 117 cubic meters of sand and salt mix overnight.
The storm has caused a lot of disruption. In some places they fell 38cm of snow during the last two days. in the county of Whatcom (Washington) there were strong winds that caused accumulations of snow around the city of Lynden.
Residents of the affected areas worried on social media regarding travel disruptions, the possibility of being stuck in their homes and the plight of their homeless neighbors.
“It is inconceivable that we would have people living without shelter in Chicago winters, let alone during a Christmas blizzard,” Twitter user @laurie_merrell posted Tuesday morning.
Heavy snowfall is also likely in the northern Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwestwith the heaviest snowfall expected in the higher ground of the Cascade Mountains, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana and western Wyoming, the National Weather Service reported.
Winter storms in the United States have moved northward and have increased in frequency and intensity over the past few years. 70 yearsaccording to the US Global Change Research Program.
Snowstorms are expected to drop increased volumes of snow as a result of the climate changeaccording to the Environmental Defense Fund, because the planet evaporates more water into the atmosphere as it warms, leading to more precipitation overall.
(With information from Archyde.com)
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