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Canceled flights, snow-covered roads, no electricity: a winter storm has brought record amounts of snow in the western United States and caused chaos. But there could also be positive things to be gained from him in the medium term.
At least three people were taken to the hospital.
Twitter / Nevada DOT Reno
At least three people were injured.
Twitter / Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue
Heavy snowfall and high winds have ravaged the Lake Tahoe area and other regions to the west.
There were several road closures and power outages.
The weather should continue until Tuesday.
The large amount of snow could replenish the groundwater reserves.
A winter storm with heavy snowfall caused power outages and traffic chaos in the western United States. According to the authorities on Monday (local time), one meter of fresh snow fell within 24 hours in California’s Sierra Nevada, and the total amount of snow in December reached a record 4.80 meters. For the state, which is suffering from the effects of years of drought, the heavy snowfalls are a glimmer of hope because they could replenish the groundwater reserves.
“We certainly didn’t expect a wet winter,” said Andrea Schwartz, a scientist from the Central Sierra Nevada Snow Laboratory at Berkeley University. The abundant snowfall was “a pleasant surprise”. It is too early to declare the drought over, “but it looks as if the western United States is getting help with it.”
According to the utility company Pacific Gas and Electric, electricity pylons overturned as a result of the storm, and the electricity supply for almost 50,000 households has been restored since Christmas Day.
At Seattle Airport in northwest Washington State, the snowfall led to delays and planes had to be de-iced.
In parts of Northern California and Nevada, roads were no longer passable and cities no longer accessible, such as Reno near Lake Tahoe, which can no longer be approached from the west.
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(AFP / roy)