- Historically violent winter storms have gripped North America.
- In both the US and Canada, people are struggling with temperatures that have dropped to minus 40 degrees Celsius in some regions.
- Almost 9,000 flights have already had to be cancelled.
240 million people in the United States are affected by weather warnings, according to the National Weather Service. That’s more than two-thirds of the entire population. The weather service warns of life-threatening low temperatures. A record cold of minus 39 degrees was measured in the north of the state of Montana.
The extreme winter weather has already resulted in at least 17 fatalities. In almost all cases, the cause is weather-related traffic accidents, reports the television station NBC. Two people were killed in a collision involving more than 50 cars on a highway in the state of Ohio, according to the local fire department. In neighboring Kentucky, two more people died in car accidents and a homeless man froze to death.
According to the weather experts, a so-called bomb cyclone developed near the Great Lakes. Such a phenomenon occurs when, in a strong storm, the air pressure drops very quickly.
Chaos at the airports
There were also warnings of extreme frost in states in the south of the country. On the night of Christmas Eve, the storm shifted more to the eastern part of the country. Several states, including New York, have declared a state of emergency. “Mother Nature is demanding everything she has to offer this weekend,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
As of Saturday morning (local time), more than 700,000 households were still without power, according to the PowerOutage website. The Arctic cold front also messed up the Christmas plans of many travelers: According to the flight data website FlightAware, almost 6,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and on Saturday morning there were already more than 1,500. Above all, passengers in the north, around the great lakes, had to travel cancel.
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.