At least 50 people have died this week due to severe winter weather hitting the United States, authorities and local media announced on Friday. Freezing temperatures, snowfall and ice make roads particularly dangerous, disrupt air travel, cause school closures and leave thousands of homes without power. Millions of Americans are on weather alert.
In the state of Tennessee (east), the Health Department reported 14 deaths caused by weather conditions. In Pennsylvania (northeast), five women died Tuesday in an accident with a semi-trailer on a highway, according to police. Five climate-related deaths were also reported in Kentucky (east), Governor Andy Beshear informed in a press release on Friday, while in Oregon (northwest), three people were electrocuted when a power line fell on their car during a snowstorm Wednesday, according to the Portland Fire Department.
The cold snap is expected to continue this weekend
In Oregon, 75,000 people were without power Friday evening, according to the Poweroutage.us website, and the governor declared a state of emergency. Deaths were also reported in Illinois (northeast), Kansas (central), New Hampshire (northeast), New York (northeast), Wisconsin (north) and Washington (northeast).
According to the website Flightaware.com, 1,100 American flights were canceled and 8,000 others delayed due to the weather, while the cold snap is expected to persist in certain regions such as the center of the country over the weekend.