- In the USA, the effects of Arctic storm “Elliott” are overshadowing this year’s Christmas celebrations.
- In both North America and Canada, people are struggling with temperatures that have dropped to minus 40 degrees Celsius in some regions.
- So far, at least 30 people in eleven states have died in connection with extreme cold, freezing winds and heavy snowfall.
An 82-year-old woman was found dead in front of an assisted living facility in Michigan on Friday morning. A snowplow driver clearing the facility’s parking lot spotted the woman in the snow, NBC reported, citing local police. She later died in hospital.
However, according to NBC, the majority of weather-related deaths are due to traffic accidents on mirror-smooth or snow-covered roads. Other broadcasters also reported double-digit death tolls.
At least four people have died in a bus accident in British Columbia, Canada. The Canadian police said the bus probably went off the road because of black ice.
Midwest hit hard
According to the PowerOutage website, more than 170,000 households were without power as of early Sunday morning. In New York City, electric utilities called on people to save energy. Heaters should be turned on as little as possible, devices such as dishwashers or tumble dryers should not be used if possible, according to a statement from the operator Con Edison. These measures will help ensure an adequate supply of natural gas for the remainder of the weekend.
The center of the storm has shifted north and is now over eastern Canada, the US weather service wrote on Twitter. The region around the Great Lakes (“Great Lakes”) in the Midwest of the USA remains badly affected. Heavy snowfall is also to be expected there on Sunday, which in combination with strong gusts of wind could lead to snowstorm-like conditions locally.
Chaos at the airports
The lowest temperature was measured on Sunday night at minus 33.9 degrees Celsius in the state of North Dakota west of the Great Lakes, according to the weather service. Travelers were once again called upon to exercise extreme caution and were warned of so-called whiteout conditions – i.e. severely restricted visibility and a lack of orientation due to the snow.
The winter storm has kept the USA in suspense since the day before Christmas. More than 200 million people had received severe weather warnings. Initially, the north and central west of the country were particularly affected. But there were also warnings of extreme frost in states in the south of the country. Several states, including New York, have declared a state of emergency.
The arctic cold combined with strong winds and heavy snowfall wreaked havoc on power grids, roads and commercial air travel. At least 3,741 flights in the United States were canceled on Saturday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. There were also more than 10,000 delays.
The winter storm has North America firmly in its grip
Emergency shelters have been set up in numerous US cities to protect the homeless and those in need from the life-threatening cold.
Similar conditions also prevail in Canada. Tens of thousands of households and companies were without power – hundreds of flights have been canceled so far. In addition, schools were closed. Authorities are warning people not to go outside.