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MORE Deaths as Blizzard of The Century Grips Canada & US
US Winter Storm Will Bring Frostbite Within Minutes
A powerful Arctic winter storm has placed more than 135 million people under weekend weather alerts ahead of the busiest travel days of the year. Plunging temperatures wreaking havoc across the US and Canada can lead to frostbite on bare skin in only five to 10 minutes, experts are warning. BBC News 23 DEC 2022. https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.2...E7&pid=Api&P=0 Monster winter storm impacting millions of Americans Dangerously low temperatures across the United States ahead of the holiday weekend. The alerts stretch from coast to coast and reach as far south as the US-Mexico border and Florida, the Sunshine State. Major airports have cancelled thousands of flights as the storm intensifies. The cold snap could bring the iciest Christmas in decades, say forecasters. The National Weather Service (NWS) said temperatures of -50F (-45C) and -70F were possible by the end of this week in some parts of the country. They warned that even in major metro areas, like the city of Des Moines, Iowa, frostbite will be a major danger. Frostbite is caused when blood flow is reduced, often to extremities like the nose and cheeks or fingers and toes. The lack of warm blood can lead to tissue freezing and rupturing, and in some cases, amputation. Meteorologists say the winter storm could become a "bomb cyclone" by Friday. Bomb cyclone is a term given to an explosive storm that intensifies rapidly, with its central air pressure dropping by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. "This is not like a snow day, when you were a kid, this is serious stuff," President Joe Biden said in a White House briefing on Thursday. The Arctic air mass is projected to bring strong wind gusts and temperature of 15F (-9.4C) to El Paso, Texas, where newly arrived undocumented migrants are sleeping rough on city streets. "It's been very, very cold here," Dylan Torres Reyes, a migrant from Venezuela who has been spending nights on the pavement outside El Paso's main bus terminal, told the BBC. Florida is projected to see its coldest Christmas in 30 years. The NWS has called it a "once-in-a-generation" winter weather event, saying on Thursday that "life-threatening wind chills" will strike the east coast on Friday. Snow and powerful winds are expected to cause damage and power outages in the Midwest and Canada. Where has the storm and severe cold hit? The NWS warned more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken over the next few days. In Colorado, temperatures dipped to a record-breaking low of -9F from 42F on Thursday The city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, set a record for its greatest one-hour temperature drop, after going from 43F to 3F within 30 minutes. Elsewhere in the western state, temperatures have dropped as low as -35F Nearly a dozen record low temperatures were also set in neighbouring Montana Blizzard conditions have hit both North Dakota and South Dakota In Chicago, a winter storm warning is in effect until Saturday, bringing with it several inches of snow and winds topping 50mph (80km/h) In Canada, much of Ontario and parts of Quebec are also bracing for a major winter storm that is expected to last through the Christmas weekend Travel Chaos More than 5,300 flights in the US have already been cancelled on Thursday and Friday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware. In anticipation of travel disruptions, major airlines including United, Delta and American have offered to waive fees for travellers who wish to reschedule their flights. Roads along the Colorado-Wyoming border were closed on Wednesday due to nearly zero visibility. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1245781874.jpg Travellers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport have been met with flight delays and cancellations on Thursday States of Emergency Declared US winter storm brings blizzards, tornadoes and flood threats The governors of Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, Georgia and Oklahoma have declared states of emergency. Wisconsin has declared an "energy emergency" because of the weather. Other states, like Maryland, have activated emergency response operations ahead of the storm, while others have opened warming shelters |
Re: MORE Deaths as Blizzard of The Century Grips Canada & US
US Braces for More Deaths as Blizzard of The Century Grips Nation
US Winter Storm Traps New York State Residents in Cars The storm stretching from Canada to the Mexican border has killed 56 people. Rescue crews struggle to reach stranded residents in Buffalo, New York, where dozens have been killed in winter storms BBC 27 DEC 2022 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...o_snow_reu.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp..._snow1_reu.jpg At least 28 people have died in western New York State, most of them in Buffalo, as a monster winter storm continues to batter North America. https://cdn.thewire.in/wp-content/up...-1110x600.jpeg A state official said some people had been trapped in cars for more than two days during what was "probably" the worst storm of their lifetime. Up to nine more inches (23cm) of snow are expected in parts of the state through Tuesday, meteorologists warn. US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration allowing federal support for New York State. "My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend," he tweeted. Mark Poloncarz, the executive for Erie County where Buffalo is located, said: "We can see sort of the light at the end of the tunnel, but this is not the end yet." "It's a generational storm," he said, warning that the county was yet to begin assessing the "full toll". Officials fear that more storm victims will be found in the next few days Emergency vehicles have been struggling to reach some worst-hit areas in New York State Citing the local medical examiner's office, Mr Poloncarz said many of the victims had died from heart problems while shovelling or blowing snow. Some were found dead in their vehicles. State Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, earlier said: "It is [like] going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking." She added that many emergency vehicles had been unable to reach worst-hit areas or had got stuck in snow themselves. They fled south to escape winter. The storm still found them How to stay safe in a winter storm One local family with young children - aged two to six - had to wait for 11 hours before being rescued in the early hours of Christmas Day (Sunday). "I was basically just hopeless," the father, Zila Santiago, told CBS News. He said he had managed to stay warm by keeping the engine running and kept distress at bay by playing games with the children. More victims are expected to be discovered once melting snowdrifts reveal trapped vehicles and allow access to remote homes. The "bomb cyclone" winter storm - which occurs when atmospheric pressure plummets, causing heavy snow and winds - has disrupted travel across the US. Forecasters say it will ease off in the next few days, but the advice remains to avoid travelling unless essential. Media caption, Thaw on the way to US cold spots Over the weekend an estimated 250,000 homes and businesses experienced blackouts - although power has been steadily restored. Storm-related deaths were also reported in Vermont, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Colorado. South Florida's temperatures dropped so low, that iguanas froze and fell from trees. The western US state of Montana was the worst hit by the cold, with temperatures dropping to -50F (-45C). In Canada, the central province of Ontario and Quebec, in the north-east, bore the brunt of the storm. Ontario's Prince Edward County, along Lake Ontario, declared a state of emergency and had to take snow ploughs off the streets because they were in danger of getting stuck, Mayor Steve Ferguson told CBC News. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...a_snow_reu.jpg A snow-covered house and a car in Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada. More snow was expected in parts of Ontario on Tuesday A number of vehicles are reported to have been trapped in snow. Four fatalities earlier occurred when a bus rolled over on an icy road near the town of Merritt, in the western province of British Columbia. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/c...11608c62f0.png |
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