This weather no longer has anything to do with the dream of a white Christmas. A bad winter storm brings the USA to its knees for the festival of love. Snowfall, freezing cold and ice have caused power outages and almost paralyzed road and air traffic.
By the morning of December 24, over a dozen people had died in traffic accidents. And the storm isn’t over yet.
Weather: Snow chaos in the USA – 13 dead
Instead of spending Christmas with loved ones, many Americans are now stuck. Your travel plans are now literally on hold. It is a “historic” event, as the US weather service NWS calls it. The arctic cold front just hanging over the US even extends to Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
Several states have already declared states of emergency, including New York, Oklahoma and Kentucky. In North Carolina, Maine and Virginia, people sat in the dark at times because the power went out across the board. Heavy snowfall and extreme cold had stolen the light from around 1.5 million households.
Traffic came to a standstill on several roads due to slippery roads. At least 17 people died as a result of traffic accidents. And the airports in New York, Detroit, Chicago and Seattle have also been badly hit. According to FlightAware, around 5,500 flights had to be cancelled. Another 9,000 were massively delayed.
“Bomb cyclone” threatens – minus 48 degrees!
Weather experts fear the emergence of a so-called “bomb cyclone” – a particularly severe storm. In the states of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming, for example, temperatures have fallen to minus 48 degrees Celsius. In Denver, temperatures plummeted 40 degrees in just 24. “This is not like a childhood snow day,” said President Joe Biden.
The US weather service also warned of so-called whiteout conditions. Visibility has been severely restricted by the falling snow, making travel “extremely dangerous and at times impossible.” The ambulance service is already overloaded at times. The emergency call should therefore only be made in “the most critical, life-threatening cases” so as not to block the lines. Despite failed heating and a lack of electricity, people should still stay at home. A transport to the next emergency shelter is hardly possible under the current conditions.
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Over 200 million people had already received severe weather warnings the day before Christmas Eve – from all over the country. “I am asking everyone not to take to the streets tonight as conditions will worsen as temperatures continue to drop across the state. Wrap up warm, stay indoors and take care of yourself this weekend,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned those around her. Just a few minutes in the cold is enough for bad frostbite. (with dpa, afp)