The USA is grappling with a freezing snowstorm. The National Weather Service (NWS) announced that the freezing winds, which come from the North Pole and affect about two-thirds of the country, will continue to affect the central and eastern parts of the country at the weekend.
17 PEOPLE LOSE LIVES
Numerous accidents have occurred in the country, caused by adverse weather conditions. At least 17 people have died in accidents caused by snowstorms in the states of Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio. In the statement made by the National Weather Service (NWS), it was stated that traveling could be extremely risky due to the snowstorm, which is expected to show its effect tomorrow.
While many people were injured in traffic accidents, most of which occurred in the form of chains, the authorities warned that the visibility decreased to zero due to the snowstorm, which reached 115 kilometers per hour in some regions.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ELECTRICITY
According to the Poweroutage site, more than 1.7 million homes and businesses across the country are left without electricity, while officials warned that it could take days to repair the faults due to ongoing adverse weather conditions.
While it is predicted that more than 200 million people will be affected by the freezing cold in the USA, it has been recorded that the cold can be effective from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
It was stated that temperatures dropped to 45 degrees Celsius below zero in the states of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming in the midwestern part of the country due to the storm.
BIDEN WAS WARNED
While states of emergency have been declared in several states, including New York, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Oklahoma, US President Joe Biden has urged citizens to heed the warnings.
Flight tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 8,000 flights were canceled and more than 25,000 flights were delayed before Christmas, one of the busiest travel times of the year.
While Americans whose flights have been canceled or delayed are stuck at airports, authorities have advised citizens not to leave their homes unless necessary for a safe Christmas holiday, taking into account the weather conditions.
“IN ONE GENERATION VIOLENCE”
In the US, on December 21, national and local weather reporting agencies warned of “once-in-a-generation” severe cold and snow conditions.
The National Weather Service (NOAA) has announced that cold weather conditions that have not been experienced in the last 40 years are approaching in some parts of the country.
The weather service pointed out that “heavy snowfall could make travel very difficult or impossible and could be life threatening”.
In addition, it was shared that the storm that will occur with the effect of cold weather will be equivalent to the pressure of a category 3 hurricane in the Great Lakes region of the country on the Canadian border.
Due to the storm, the ground floors of some hospitals and businesses on New Jersey’s coastline overlooking Manhattan were flooded by the overflowing Hudson River, while many vehicles exposed to the flood were damaged.
The coastal areas of Queens and Brooklyn were also damaged by rising ocean waters, while waves brought by high winds rendered some coastal streets and habitats unusable. (AA-UAV)