According to the website PowerOutage, more than 1.6 million homes were temporarily without power on Saturday, most of them on the east coast of the United States. Temperatures dropped to minus 40 degrees in some parts of the country.
On Christmas Eve, the US Weather Service wrote on Twitter that “Santa” – Father Christmas – would experience freezing temperatures, especially in the eastern two-thirds of the country. “Fortunately he comes from the North Pole and is used to this weather,” the Christmas message continued. However, in the southwest and on the west coast, it will experience slightly warmer temperatures.
For some, the Arctic storm “Elliott” had very serious consequences: NBC broadcaster reported at least 23 fatalities, citing local authorities. An 82-year-old woman was found dead Friday morning outside a residential care home in Michigan. A snowplow driver clearing the facility’s parking lot spotted the woman in the snow, NBC reported, citing local police. She later died in hospital.
In most cases, however, the weather-related deaths were caused by traffic accidents on icy or snow-covered roads. Other broadcasters also reported double-digit death tolls.
The US Weather Service called on travelers to exercise extreme caution over the Christmas weekend and warned of so-called whiteout conditions, ie severely limited visibility and orientation due to the snow. Traveling in these conditions is “extremely dangerous and sometimes impossible,” the ministry said. There was also a warning about the low temperatures. It was said that even a few minutes in the cold could lead to frostbite.
In Erie County, south of the Great Lakes in upstate New York, emergency services were sometimes overwhelmed. Marc Poloncarz, the district manager, called on Twitter to call the emergency number only in the “most critical, life-threatening cases” in order to keep the lines free. He urged residents to stay in their homes despite power and heating cuts.
The Arctic cold front also messed up many travelers’ Christmas plans: according to flight data website FlightAware, nearly 6,000 flights had already been canceled on Friday and nearly 3,000 on Saturday. US media, citing weather experts, saw conditions for a so-called “bomb cyclone” on some places » fulfilled: This is a weather phenomenon in which the air pressure drops extremely in a short time and increases the strength of the storm.
(SDA)