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Blackouts and Travel Misery in US and Canada Amid Freezing Winter Storms US Weather

More than a million people in the United States are in darkness after a winter storm dubbed the “Bomb Cyclone” hits the country. Highways were closed, flights were canceled, and Christmas travelers were miserable.

Heavy snows, howling winds, and air so frigid that hot water instantly turned to ice ruled much of the country, including the normally temperate southern states.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), more than 200 million Americans received weather alerts.

In Hamburg, New York, Jennifer Orlando, 39, relaxes with her husband. “I can’t see across the street,” she told AFP. “We’re not going anywhere.” She said she had lost power for four hours after her car slid onto a highway power line.

The bitter cold is a pressing concern for the hundreds of thousands of electricity customers who were without power, according to Tracker. poweroutage.us.

In El Paso, Texas, immigrants from Mexico gathered to warm themselves at churches, schools and civic centers, school teacher and volunteer Rosa Falcon told AFP.

However, some chose to stay outdoors in temperatures of 15 degrees Fahrenheit for fear of caution from immigration officials.

In Chicago, Burke Patten of Knight Ministry, a nonprofit that helps homeless people, said: and foot warmers.

Maj. Caleb Sen, the Salvation Army’s Chicago area commander, said the Salvation Army has a center open for people to evacuate from severe weather.

“Some of the people we see now have just been homeless this year,” he said. “Some of these people are actually frightened.

of Canadalast-minute holiday shoppers in central Toronto shrugged off the sudden drop in temperature.

Jennifer Campbell of Caledon, Ontario, told AFP: “Every few years we get a big storm and I think we just adapt. We’re Canadians and that’s the way we are.” .”

Transportation agencies in North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Iowa, and elsewhere reported whiteouts with near-zero visibility, icy roads, snowstorm conditions, and urged residents to stay home. .

At least two traffic fatalities were reported in Oklahoma on Thursday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed three people in his state.

At least one person was killed in a pile of 50 cars in Ohio, according to local media. Meanwhile, in Michigan, an accident involving nine tractors and his trailer disrupted traffic.

Drivers were usually told not to take the roads as the country arrived during the busiest time of year for travel.

“This is an epic statewide danger,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news conference. “The road becomes like an ice skating rink and tires can’t keep up.”

About 5,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Friday, according to tracking website FlightAware, with an additional 7,600 delayed, many of them to international hubs in New York, Seattle and Chicago’s O’Hare.

The ripple effect was spreading misery even to travelers arriving in breezy Los Angeles.

Christine Lerosen told ABC 7 she was unable to find a flight from Vancouver. She said, “Her brother drove me to Seattle and I had to book a flight from Seattle to get to Denver. Seattle flight was delayed, Denver flight was delayed, luggage was lost. I’m sorry,” she said.

By Friday afternoon, the storm had turned into a “bomb cyclone” after a 24-hour drop in atmospheric pressure.

Bomb cyclones bring heavy rain and heavy snow. It can also cause coastal flooding and hurricane-strength winds.

Toronto meteorologist Kelsey McEwen tweeted that waves up to 26 feet (8 meters) were reported on Lake Erie, and winds of up to 74 miles per hour (120 km/h) were raging in the Port of Fairport, Ohio. NWS tweeted.

Rich Maliawco, chief forecaster for the NWS in Glasgow, Montana, said the wind chill had plummeted to -60F overnight, making the weather extremely dangerous.

“With this kind of wind chill, if you’re not wearing warm layers… unprotected skin can get frostbite within five minutes,” he said.

It was so cold that a video was posted of the “Hot Water Challenge,” in which people throw hot water into the air and freeze it instantly.

“We created our own clouds at -17° F (-27° C) at #Missoula International Airport,” tweeted NWS Missoula, Montana.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/24/us-winter-storm-bomb-cyclone-power-cuts-travel-canada Blackouts and Travel Misery in US and Canada Amid Freezing Winter Storms US Weather

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