Dangerously cold wind chills will freeze much of the eastern two-thirds of the country as a monstrous winter storm continues to wreak havoc over the holiday weekend, forecasters warned.
Snowstorms and an arctic explosion will impact the Midwest to the northeast, the National Weather Service said in a bulletin on Saturday, adding that travel will be “extremely dangerous” and “sometimes impossible” in white-out conditions.
The storm has already claimed the lives of several people and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. Holidaymakers have run into delays and cancellations.
What do you know
- Should at least 17 people have died in weather-related deaths. The deaths occurred in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio.
- The life-threatening cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills will pose a potentially life-threatening threat to travelers who are stranded, forecasters warn.
- The storm is causing travel chaos in the USA.
Gouverneur Hochul: 74.000 ohne Strom in New York
The
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is closed until Monday
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Saturday that Buffalo Niagara International Airport would be closed until Monday morning and nearly every fire truck in Buffalo was stranded in the snow.
New York governor declares state of emergency
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“No matter how many emergency vehicles we have, they can’t survive the conditions as we speak,” said Hochul.
More than 200,000 without power in Maine and North Carolina
More than 200,000 Maine and North Carolina residents were without power on Saturday around 1:30 p.m. ET, according to Poweroutage.us, a website that summarizes live power outage data from utility companies across the country.
In North Carolina, 242,882 residents — around 5% of the state’s energy customers — had lost power, and the outages spread across the state.
In Maine, 203,421 residents—around 23% of the state’s energy customers—were without power, with most outages concentrated in the state’s southern and western counties.
New York and South Carolina also reported significant power outages. More than 60,000 residents in New York and more than 56,000 in South Carolina were affected by outages. This represents around 7% of energy customers in New York and 2% in South Carolina.
Connecticut governor urges local officials to keep shelters open
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont called on local authorities to keep 66 shelters and heat centers open across the state to help residents who have lost power or are out of shelter.
“The extreme cold that the vast majority of the country is currently exposed to poses a threat to the health and safety of people without heat, and our communities must continue to provide warmth and shelter to those who need it, particularly on Christmas Eve,” the governor said in a statement.
According to the governor’s office, ninety-three cities across the state reported power outages on Saturday afternoon. Thirty-nine of them should be powered again by 6 PM, 38 AM to midnight and 4 to 8 AM on Sunday, the governor’s office said.
Connecticut residents can call 211 to find the nearest available shelters and get transportation to the shelters.
New York asks for a state of emergency to be declared amid the deadly storm
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a news conference on Saturday that she would ask the federal government for a declaration of emergency in the midst of a deadly winter storm that killed at least two people in the state.
“I’m going to ask the federal government for a declaration of emergency that allows us to request refunds for the exceptional expenditure of all overtime and the fact that we have sought mutual aid from other parts of the state,” Hochul told reporters on Saturday. “We used individuals — the supply crews came, but we also made sure we had all the vehicles we needed.”
Tennessee Titans postpone the game by an hour at the mayor’s request to save electricity
The Tennessee Titans postponed their Saturday game by an hour after Mayor John Cooper asked to save electricity as the winter storm has repeatedly caused power outages.
“I appreciate @Titans delaying kick-off by an hour as @TVAnews is committed to ending the ongoing power outages immediately. NES is continuing to work hard to minimise disruption to residents this holiday weekend.”
More than 1,900 flight cancellations across the country Saturday
As of late Saturday morning, FlightAware has listed the following updates for delays and cancellations:
Total number of delays: 11,682
Total number of delays within, to, or from the United States: 3,856
Total cancellations: 3,999
Total number of cancellations within, to, or from the United States: 1,963
Nashville mayor asks NFL team to postpone Christmas Eve game
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper called on the Tennessee Titans on Saturday morning to postpone their afternoon game in a tweet “in solidarity with our neighbors,” as the Tennessee Valley Authority continues to suspend power outages.
Cooper said the TVA’s unilateral power outages would continue, and called on all non-vital companies to cut electricity usage. “TVA must invest in infrastructure to withstand extreme temperatures,” he added.
Duke Energy in North Carolina announces “emergency outages” amid bitter temperatures
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Duke Energy, the electric company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced “emergency outages” Saturday morning as bitterly cold temperatures drove high energy demand across the state.
“We started with brief, temporary power outages. These emergency failures are necessary to protect the energy grid from longer, more extensive outages. Thank you for your patience,” Duke Energy said in a tweet.
Two weather-related deaths in Cheektowaga, NY
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Saturday that the winter storm had resulted in two deaths in the region.
“We are currently aware of two deaths. Both occurred in Cheektowaga and were medical emergencies that emergency workers were unable to get to. They weren’t stuck in vehicles. We are preparing for more deaths as the search and rescue continues throughout the day.”
A
Wild winter storm envelops the USA and growls Christmas trips
A wild winter The storm continued to envelop much of the United States on Saturday, bringing dazzling blizzards, freezing rain, floods and life-threatening cold to most parts of the country. A major electric grid operator, which serves 65 million people in the eastern US, says that power plants struggle to operate in cold weather and has asked residents to refrain from using unnecessary electricity.
Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection issued the system-wide emergency call for environmental protection and told residents of 13 states to set thermostats lower than usual, postpone the use of large appliances such as stoves and dishwashers, and turn off the lights. Commercial and industrial electricity users were also asked to use less electricity.
“We may be calling for continuous power outages. The cause is increased demand throughout the PJM system. And secondly, the inability of some power plants to operate in this extreme weather,” said Susan Bühler, spokeswoman for the energy supplier.
That
The area of PJM includes, in whole or in part, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of flights were canceled on Christmas Eve
Almost 1,600 flights in or out of the US were canceled this Christmas Eve, according to the FlightAware website. A further 1,669 flights in or out of the country were delayed, the website says.
This came after a total of 1,400 flights were canceled and 7,200 were delayed on Friday as winter conditions made travel difficult.
This meant that holidaymakers were faced with long lines, often waiting times in cold conditions, and unpredictable schedules.
Maine wird von starken Winden und Schnee heimgesucht
Forecasters warn of “life-threatening temperatures”
Dangerous winds “will pose a potentially life-threatening threat to stranded travelers, people working outdoors, livestock and pets,” the National Weather Service warned in a bulletin on Saturday.
“In some areas, being outdoors can cause frostbite in minutes,” the bulletin said, adding that people should prepare for the extreme cold by packing warm clothing and packing safety kits into their vehicles.
“Make sure that outdoor animals and livestock have adequate protection,” it said.
More than 1.6 million people are awake without electricity
on
Widespread power outages everywhere According to poweroutage.us, more than 1.6 million customers in several states will wake up without power on Christmas Eve morning.
North Carolina is the hardest hit state with 407,915 without power, followed by 308,265 in Tennessee and 238,502 in Maine.
“Unparalleled” calls to first responders, says
, Director of Erie County
Emergency workers in Erie County, New York, are seeing an increasing number of calls and are working in “almost impossible conditions,” Erie County Executive Mark Polocarz tweeted early Saturday.
“Transportation to the heating centers is currently almost impossible in the worst-affected communities, so even without electricity and heat, local shelter may be the best option,” he said.
The number of
Death toll from winter storms rises to 17
The authorities of
Four have reported more weather-related deaths, bringing the number of people who died in the winter storm to 17.
The four deaths occurred in Kansas and Nebraska and were all related to the death, according to officials.
Die
Nebraska State Patrol confirmed a weather-related death. Further details were not released. A spokesperson for the agency said it had responded to more than 600 weather-related incidents.
Die
Kansas Highway Patrol said Friday that three fatal accidents occurred Wednesday, all of which were assumed to be weather-related.
In Republic County, a man died after his car was hit by another vehicle that lost control and became an impact knife. His car was pushed off the road and hit a tree. He was identified as Fred Mikesell, 60, from Scandia, Kansas, officials said.
The driver of the other vehicle remained uninjured, according to Highway Patrol.
Zachary Bealer, 33, from Kansas City, Missouri, died after losing control of his truck and crossing the midway of Interstate 70 in Geary County. His truck was then hit by two other vehicles and came to a stop 80 feet down an embankment, Highway Patrol said.
With the
No injuries were reported to people in the other two vehicles.
Grant Lysell-Alkire, 21, of Lindsborg, Kansas, died after the SUV he was a passenger in drove into a ditch on Interstate 135 in Saline County and overturned. According to Highway Patrol, the 16-year-old driver suffered a minor injury.
Deaths were also reported in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
Das
Drohnenvideo zeigt einen Schneesturm, der über den Flathead Lake in Montana rollt
New York governor sends National Guard to Erie County
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Governor of New York. Kathy Hochul said late on Friday she was deploying 54 National Guard members to help residents amid the winter storm and severe blizzard that has hit the region.
The members of the Guard would help Erie County residents, particularly those who have emergency medical appointments and need travel assistance, Hochul said in a statement.
They were expected on site “within a few hours,” the statement said.
“I want to reassure New Yorkers that all of our government resources are being used to help with post-storm recovery efforts, and we’re working closely with local authorities across the state. Remember: Stay off the roads and take precautions to stay safe in your home.”