As the holidays begin, a giant “bomb cyclone” storm hits the United States with life-threatening cold.US weather
A severe winter storm engulfed much of the United States on Saturday, bringing blizzards, freezing rain, flooding and extreme cold to near-record lows. About 1.4 million homes and businesses were without power by late afternoon, disrupting holiday travel and public facilities.
According to meteorologists, the storm, dubbed a “bomb cyclone” or “bombogenesis,” was caused by the collision of cold, dry air from the north and warm, moist air from the south.
According to the National Weather Service, more than 200 million people had received some form of winter advisory or warning in “one of the largest winter weather warnings and advisories to date.”
As this system made its way down to Texas, many faced the coldest Christmas Eve in decades. It led to massive flight cancellations. It stretched him 2,000 miles from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the Mexican border. Temperatures were well below normal from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains.
Freezing rain covered much of the Pacific Northwest, with coastal and inland flooding in the northeast followed by rapid freezing.
“When heavy rainfall falls on the melted snowpack, the flooding impact is greater,” says NWS Said“Moderate to large, isolated coastal flooding is projected with strong land winds.
Frigid temperatures and gusts of wind were expected to bring “dangerously cold winds across much of the central and eastern United States, potentially threatening the lives of stranded travelers.”
“In some areas, being outdoors in minutes can lead to frostbite,” the NWS said, adding, “Ensure that outdoor animals and livestock have adequate shelter.”
About 400,000 customers remain without power in six New England states, with some utilities warning it could take days to restore. In North Carolina, he had nearly 370,000 people without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
Pennsylvania’s PJM Interconnection issued an environmental emergency call, asking residents in 13 states to turn down thermostats, postpone use of major appliances such as stoves and dishwashers, and turn off unnecessary lights. I asked. Commercial and industrial power users were asked to cut back.
PJM also warned people to prepare for rolling blackouts. PJM covers all or part of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC.
Millions of people traveling before Christmas have been affected, with 7,423 flights delayed and 3,426 canceled both inside and outside the US, according to FlightAware. It warned about road trips, urging travelers to regularly expect “near-zero visibility and significant blizzards and snow drifts.”
“Traveling in these conditions would be extremely dangerous and sometimes impossible,” he said.
The highway was closed due to an increase in crashes. On the Ohio Turnpike, he was hit by 50 vehicles and killed four people. A Kansas City, Missouri, driver died Thursday after skidding into a creek. Three people died on the road in Kansas. Michigan has faced a string of accidents, including one involving nine semi-trailers.
In Canada, WestJet has canceled all flights at Pearson Airport in Toronto. In Mexico, immigrants have camped near the U.S. border to halt many asylum seekers as they await a Supreme Court decision on pandemic-era restrictions.
South Dakota Governor Christy Noem announced an expanded National Guard mission to assist the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux with firewood and blow blown snow up to 12 feet high.
A rare freeze warning has been issued for much of Florida.
Activists rushed to help homeless people out of the cold as the storm raged. The Detroit shelter, designed to hold 100 people, housed nearly 170 adults and children.
“This is a lot of extra people,” said Faith Fowler, executive director of Cass Community Social Services, but there was no option to turn someone down.
In Portland, Oregon, nearly 800 people stayed in five shelters as outreach teams distributed survival gear. The shelter called for volunteers. Employees have been bedridden with the flu or unable to work due to icy roads, officials said.
Winds exceeded 150 miles per hour on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the tallest mountain in the northeast.
In Boston, a combination of rain and storm surge flooded several downtown streets. In Vermont, Amtrak canceled rail service and closed non-essential state offices early.
“We’re hearing from the crew that grown trees are being ripped up by the roots,” Mari McClure, president of Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s largest utility, told reporters.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency and announced plans to deploy the National Guard to the Buffalo area.
Jefferson County has declared a state of emergency and travel ban as Buffalo’s NWS reported a “life-threatening blizzard condition.”
Buffalo’s Niagara International Airport was closed until Monday and some roads were closed until Christmas, stranded nearly all of Buffalo’s fire trucks, Hotchol said.
“No amount of emergency vehicles can survive the situation we are talking about,” Ho-chul said.
Two people died on Friday after first responders failed to reach their homes during the medical emergency.
“It’s like a Category 3 hurricane mixed with snow,” said Tim Carney of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Said Buffalo News estimates that at least 10 police vehicles were stranded.
Winds were expected to abate Saturday, but “blizzard conditions continue within the lake’s snow belt,” the NWS said.
John Cooper, Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee announced He said he was “in solidarity with our neighbors” in asking the Tennessee Titans to postpone the NFL game on Christmas Eve.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest U.S. utility, ended rolling blackouts on Friday, but remains Asked Local power company to reduce usage.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/24/huge-winter-storm-bomb-cyclone-us-life-threatening-cold-holidays As the holidays begin, a giant “bomb cyclone” storm hits the United States with life-threatening cold.US weather