The US is preparing for a “historic” winter storm just before the Christmas holiday. An arctic cold front moved across parts of the eastern part of the country Thursday through Friday (local time), the U.S. weather service warned. The storm will bring extreme cold, heavy snow and icy winds. US media, citing weather experts, warned of the possible emergence of a special and severe storm, a so-called “bomb cyclone”.
An arctic cold front with temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius plunged large parts of the US into chaos shortly before Christmas. Countless people were unable to start their planned trip for the festival on Thursday (local time); weather warnings were in effect for several million US citizens. President Joe Biden warned his compatriots: “This is not like a beautiful snowy day in childhood. That’s really serious.”
People have to stay at home – death threatens outside
Sometimes it gets so cold that there is a chance of freezing within minutes, authorities warned. There is some sort of weather warning for nearly 280 million people. Meteorologists warned that people should not leave their homes. Going outside puts you at risk of frostbite within minutes. With a longer stay there is even a risk of death.
Leading up to the storm, the U.S. Weather Service had warned of “record-breaking cold and life-threatening gusts of wind” that would spread from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern half of the United States. A storm “once in a generation” was predicted for New York State. The north and midwest of the country have been particularly affected, but also the south of the US. An extreme frost warning has been issued for the states of Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. “Life-threatening” temperatures with strong winds are expected in some parts of the country.
This storm is likely to have a broad impact on travel, with power outages due to expected high winds and snowfall, and significant icing, the weather service said.
Thousands of flights cancelled
This will probably be difficult for many people who want to travel to their relatives for Christmas. Thousands of flights were canceled on Thursday and Friday, according to media reports. Chicago and Detroit airports are among the country’s major hubs and heavy snowstorms are expected there. Strong winds, rain and ice can also affect highways and airports in the East Coast metropolitan areas of Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Many roads were already closed on Thursday, especially in the north of the country. (SDA/AFP/jwg)