Cold chaos in the USA: the number of deaths from the "bomb cyclone" increases - measured up to minus 40 degrees
Created: 12/25/2022, 07:00
By: Momir Takac, Bettina Menzel, Martina Lippl
An arctic storm caused a cold spell in the USA with temperatures down to minus 45 degrees.
At least 23 people have died so far.
The news ticker.
Extreme cold, snowfall
and
icy wind
: weather chaos leads to mass crash with 50 cars.
Cold wave
in the
USA
: Extreme frost and snowstorms cause flight cancellations.
Arctic cold grips US:
winter storm
wreaks havoc at Christmas.
This news ticker on
extreme weather
in the United States is continuously updated.
Update from December 25, 7 a.m.:
In large parts of the USA, people experience Christmas in the exceptional cold.
Extreme sub-zero temperatures, icy winds and heavy snowfalls have led to power outages in many places - and have already claimed several lives.
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.
In some parts of the country up to minus 40 degrees were measured.
For some, the Arctic storm "Elliott" had very serious consequences: The broadcaster NBC reported at least 23 fatalities, citing local authorities.
An 82-year-old woman was found dead in front of an assisted living facility in Michigan on Friday morning.
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.
However, the majority of weather-related deaths were due to traffic accidents on mirror-smooth or snow-covered roads.
Other broadcasters also reported double-digit death tolls.
The US weather service called on travelers to exercise extreme caution on the Christmas weekend and warned of so-called whiteout conditions, i.e. severely restricted visibility and orientation due to the snow.
Traveling under these conditions is "extremely dangerous and at times impossible," it 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.
Update from December 24, 4:40 p.m
.: US meteorologists have been warning of heavy snowfalls and brutal cold over Christmas for days.
At least 17 people have already died, reports the US broadcaster NBC, citing the authorities.
Large parts of the country are frozen.
The temperatures are life threatening.
Hundreds of thousands are without power in the freezing cold.
Thousands of flights have been cancelled.
Travelers heading to their family or friends for Christmas are stranded.
Deadly winter storm in the USA: US weather service continues to warn of snowstorms and extreme cold
The US weather service also warns on Saturday of so-called blizzards and "the Artic Blast" - dangerous wind storms in large parts of the country.
Snow masses are to be expected in the north and east in the next few hours.
Due to the so-called "
Lake Effect
", huge amounts of snow could fall there in a short time.
In Erie County, south of the Great Lakes in upstate New York, rescue workers were temporarily overwhelmed.
"Please stay home," tweeted Mark Poloncarz, the district official.
He urged residents to stay in their homes despite power and heating outages.
Transport to emergency shelters is currently almost impossible.
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December 24 update, 1:36 p.m
.: Extreme cold and a winter storm are sweeping across the United States.
The US weather service speaks of a historic event.
In the state of Montana, minus 40 degrees were measured on Saturday morning.
What this value actually means is illustrated by a spectacular video on social media.
At least 17 dead by winter storm "Elliot" - US weather service warns of extreme cold
Update from December 24, 11:39 a.m
.: In the USA, more than 175 million people are affected by an extreme cold warning.
Authorities warn that temperatures can feel as low as minus 30 degrees.
The "wind chill" warning extends from Montana to Florida, including the Minneapolis, St. Louis, Atlanta, Houston and Washington, DC regions.
According to the US weather service, minus 40 degrees Celsius were measured in the state of Montana early on Saturday morning.
Authorities warn that even a few minutes in the cold could lead to frostbite.
The death toll has now risen to 17, reports the US broadcaster NBC.
Extreme cold, snowfall and icy wind: weather chaos leads to mass crash with 50 cars
Update from December 24, 10:22 a.m
.: At least four people died on the Ohio Turnpike in a mass collision with 50 vehicles, the Ohio State Highway Patrol announced during the cold spell in the USA.
Photos show cars completely wedged together.
Rescue workers try to clear the road under difficult weather conditions.
The so-called "white-out conditions" - extreme cold, snowfall and freezing wind - continue in the USA.
Travel is expressly not recommended.
In the USA some roads are completely icy.
Snow clearing vehicles can no longer keep up with the clearing.
State police, including in New York, Illinois and Michigan, are urging people to stay off the streets.
Cold wave in the USA: Chaos weather causes thousands of flight cancellations
Update from December 24, 8:45 a.m .:
A violent storm caused chaos in large parts of the United States on Christmas weekend.
The severe cold snap caused heavy snowfall and icy winds in the United States, which led to power outages in more than 1.2 million US homes, the PowerOutage website showed on Friday evening (local time).
Ice and snow messed up the plans of many travelers: According to the flight data website FlightAware, more than 5,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and almost 9,000 were delayed.
Cold wave in the USA: "Bomb cyclone" claims 13 lives
According to media reports, at least 13 people died in road accidents during the cold spell in the United States.
Traffic came to a complete standstill on many roads.
On the Ohio Turnpike highway, the main artery between Chicago and Pittsburgh, there were reports of a mass collision involving around 50 vehicles on Friday morning (local time), at least three people died.
The United States is hit by a cold wave.
Vehicles are parked on US 131 north of 84th Street in the state of Michigan on Friday (December 23).
© Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press/AP/dpa / +++ dpa picture radio +++
Cold wave in the USA: More than 200 million people received severe weather warnings on the day before Christmas
More than 200 million of the approximately 330 million inhabitants of the USA had received severe weather warnings on the day before Christmas.
Some states, including New York, have declared a state of emergency.
“I am asking everyone not to take to the streets tonight as conditions will worsen as temperatures continue to drop across the state.
Wrap up warm, stay indoors and take care of yourself this weekend," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged residents on Friday.
Cold snap in the US becomes a problem for the homeless
Update from December 23, 3:57 p.m .:
The extreme cold in the USA is increasingly becoming a problem for the homeless and helpers.
A church mission in Augusta, for example, is expecting a stampede, the
New York Times
reported .
"It might not be a matter of life and death on a normal night," the mission leader said, "but it is now."
At least five homeless people are said to have frozen to death in Salt Lake City earlier this week.
And even in Miami, in the sunny state of Florida, homeless aid has activated its cold emergency plan.
Winter storms in the USA: Extreme frost and snow storms cause flight cancellations
Update from December 23, 12:41 p.m .:
Thousands of flights have been canceled in the USA as a result of extreme frost, snow storms and ice winds.
According to the
FlightAware
website , almost 3,000 flights were canceled nationwide on Friday morning, and more than 700 flights were delayed.
In addition, numerous bus and train connections have been canceled.
The weather service warned against driving.
If you get stuck because of snow or ice, the icy winds could become a life-threatening trap.
A storm surge is expected on the east shore of Lake Erie near Niagara Falls, the National Weather Service reported.
The water level could rise by several meters.
In the city of Hamburg, in the state of New York, residents near the water were apparently asked to leave their homes.
Arctic cold grips US: Winter storm wreaks havoc ahead of Christmas
Update from December 23, 11:45 a.m .:
The feared arctic cold front has hit the USA and caused chaos in large parts of the country before Christmas.
Many people were unable to start their journey because of temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
Many roads in the north of the USA were already closed on Thursday.
Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed.
The cold front moved east across the Midwest.
She should reach the coast on Friday.
In the states of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming, the thermometer even dropped to minus 45 degrees Celsius.
In the state of Kansas, three people died in traffic accidents that
occurred due to snow and icy roads , according to the
USA Today newspaper.
In Oklahoma, too, people are said to have been killed in weather-related traffic accidents.
The USA are dealing with an arctic storm with extreme cold.
© picture alliance/dpa/Wisconsin State Journal/AP |
John Hart
US meteorologists warn of 'historic' winter storm and 'bomb cyclone'
Meteorologists advised people not to leave their homes.
Due to the extreme sub-zero temperatures, frostbite can occur within minutes, and if you stay outdoors for a long time, the cold can even be life-threatening.
Weather services had previously predicted a "historic" winter storm with extreme cold, heavy snowfall and icy winds.
US media, citing meteorologists, warned of the possible emergence of a special and severe storm, a so-called "bomb cyclone".
The USA had already experienced a comparable cold snap in February 2019.
Extreme cold in North America: Frostbite threatens within minutes
First report from December 22, 2022
- Washington - An arctic storm brought drastic temperature drops and extreme cold to the USA over the Christmas period.
The US weather service warned Thursday of heavy snowfall, cold winds and temperatures of up to minus 50 degrees, especially in the north and midwest of the country.
In some places, according to the weather service, the temperatures fell by a good 20 degrees within half an hour.
Sometimes it gets so cold that there is a risk of frostbite within minutes, the authorities warned.
US President Joe Biden also found drastic words on Thursday: “This is not just a snowy day, like from childhood.
This is serious," he said at the White House.
The British BBC shared a map of the likely developments over the next few days via Twitter.
Arctic storm in the USA: governor warns of extreme weather
The extreme cold snap could also upset millions of Americans' Christmas travel plans.
Snow, ice and strong winds threaten to massively affect traffic on the road and in the air.
The weather service advised against driving in parts of the country that were particularly affected by the cold.
The situation can be life-threatening if you break down on the road with the car.
The southern United States is also affected.
An extreme frost warning has been issued for the states of Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.
The governor of Louisiana urged residents of his state to prepare for Arctic temperatures.
"Please take care of your friends, your neighbors or family members," the governor's official website said.
In some parts of Louisiana, which typically has a more subtropical climate, “life-threatening” temperatures of as low as minus 15 degrees with strong winds are expected.
Arctic storm in the USA: Texas was already suffering from extreme weather conditions in 2021
How dangerous cold snaps of this kind can be in the USA was shown in February 2021 in the state of Texas in the south of the USA.
At that time, the power grid collapsed due to the sudden cold, gas pipelines froze and power plants had to be shut down.
Millions of people were left without electricity in the freezing cold, sometimes for days, and many died.
(dpa)
