A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the US early yesterday stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the way to the East Coast, prompting several states to close schools and government offices, with about 60 million people under winter weather warnings and advisories.
The storm was moving toward the mid-Atlantic, where Washington was bracing for heavy snow and bitter cold as the US Congress was preparing to meet and formally certify Donald Trump’s election as president.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday told Fox News that the weather would not prevent lawmakers from carrying out their duties, but the Office of Personnel Management announced that federal offices in the nation’s capital would be closed.
Photo: AP
Snow and ice blanketed major roads across Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help stranded motorists. At least 20cm of snow was expected, along with gusting winds up to 72kph.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings from Kansas and Missouri all the way to New Jersey.
“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said.
Photo: AFP
Gary Wright wore a parka as he and his husband chipped away at thick ice coating his sport-utility vehicle in a slippery apartment parking lot in Missouri.
He said would work remotely, but wanted to scrape off his vehicle as an excuse to spend a little time in the snow, adding that he was seeking boots for their two older dogs that “won’t budge at all” when their paws hit the cold ground.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole. People in the US, Europe and Asia experience its intense cold when the vortex escapes and plunges southward.
Studies show a fast-warming arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip.
Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky on Sunday announced school cancelations or delays, while Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for nearly 100,000 students.
Governors in several states, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Virginia, declared states of emergency, as did Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
“Keeping Marylanders safe is our top priority. Please stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and family and charge your communications devices in case you lose power,” Moore said in a statement.
Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said, adding that state police had responded to nearly 285 crashes.
Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol vehicle was hit.
The storm forced the cancelation of hundreds of flights, including more than 275 in Missouri’s Kansas City and St Louis, aviation tracking Web site FlightAware reported.
The eastern two-thirds of the US was yesterday to experience dangerous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said, with temperatures 7°C to 14°C below normal.
In Chicago, temperatures on Sunday hovered at about minus-7°C to minus-10°C and fell to minus-11.7°C in International Falls, Minnesota.
Across the Atlantic, the UK was bracing for more snow and rain as severe weather disrupted road, rail and air travel, with dozens of flights delayed.
The British Environment Agency said flooding was expected at more than 150 locations due to rain and melting snow.
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