An arctic storm swept across much of the United States on Saturday, knocking out power for 2 million people, killing at least 14 in weather-related traffic accidents, and stranding thousands due to… Trip cancellation.
While it was expected to cause a drop in temperatures The coldest Christmas Eve ever recordedPower systems across the country were put under strain due to high heat demand and storm damage to transmission lines.
Monitoring website Poweroutage.us reported that about 1.8 million homes and businesses in the United States had lost power as of early Saturday.
Many power companies have asked their customers to save energy by not turning on large appliances and turning off unnecessary lights.
The disturbances also disrupted the daily routine and Vacation plans of millions of americans During one of the busiest periods of the year.
barely 2,000 flights were canceled on Saturday, with a total of 4,000 delays, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. More than 5,000 flights were canceled on Friday, according to the flight-tracking service.
The American Automobile Association estimated that 112.7 million people were planning to move 50 miles or more from their homes between Friday and January 2, but inclement weather this weekend likely means many will stay indoors.
Media reported that fatal traffic accidents across the country left at least 14 people dead due to weather-related accidents.
Two motorists were killed and many others injured in a 50-vehicle pileup that closed the Ohio Turnpike in both directions during a blizzard near Toledo, forcing stranded motorists to evacuate by bus to prevent them from spreading out. They froze in their cars, according to authorities.
Three of the deaths occurred in Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday called on residents to “Stay home, stay safe, stay alive“.
“I know it’s very difficult because it’s Christmas Eve. But we’re having dozens and dozens of incidents,” he told an online news briefing. “It just isn’t safe.”
Saturday’s blizzard conditions were maintained buffaloNew York and the surrounding county are on the edge of Lake Erie in western New York, where 4 to 6 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) of snow is expected Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
The city imposed a driving ban on Friday, which was still in effect on Saturday, and the three Buffalo-area border bridges were closed to traffic from Canada due to the weather.
High temperatures on Saturday in Pittsburgh are expected to be only 7 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 degrees Celsius), down from the coldest Christmas Eve on record of 13 degrees Fahrenheit, which was set in 1983, the NWS said.
Cities in Georgia and South Carolina — Athens and Charleston — also predict the coldest daytime temperatures on Christmas Eve, while Washington, D.C., is forecasting the coldest December 24 since 1989.
“The cold snap will continue until Christmas,” said meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook of the NWS Weather Prediction Centre.
Bad weather has forced authorities across the country to open warming stations in libraries and police stations, while also scrambling to expand temporary shelters for the homeless. The challenge was doubly so Thousands of immigrants streamed across the southern border of the United States in the past weeks.
The National Weather Service said its map of current or imminent weather hazards “shows one of the largest stretches of winter weather hours and warnings ever seen.”
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