Winter storm’s icy cold and wind knocks out power to over a million customers

CNN
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A massive winter storm hitting the United States with frigid temperatures, high winds and heavy snow left power outages for more than a million customers as of Friday morning, prompting more than a dozen governors to create contingency plans. I was.

The storm, which is expected to intensify throughout the day as it passes through the Midwest and East, will bring poor visibility, icy roads and severe road conditions that some drivers find unbearable. Stuck in extreme cold.

A life-threatening cold snap hit the Gulf Coast and the Mexican border, with sub-zero chills reported in Austin and Atlanta to the south.

According to the website PowerOutage.US, as of 9:30 a.m. ET, more than 1.1 million customers affected by winds behind the front had lost power, with power outages extending from Texas to New England. reached.. Most importantly, over 150,000 customers in North Carolina and over 102,000 customers in Connecticut lost power.

Travel has also been disrupted, with hundreds of miles of road closures and flight cancellations increasing rapidly. Storms are also causing coastal flooding, especially in the northeast.

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Ahead of the holiday weekend, more than 200 million people in the U.S. have cold weather warnings from the Canadian border to the Mexican border and from Washington to Florida, with freezing temperatures expected in the Southeast by Friday. Other winter weather alerts are in effect for blizzards, ice, snow, and floods.

“The National Weather Service’s watch warning graphic represents one of the largest ranges of winter weather warnings and advisories ever made,” the agency said Thursday.

In particular, parts of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming have already seen cold temperatures below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the past two days.

“Ongoing major winter storms will continue to produce heavy snowfall, high winds and chilly areas with life-threatening winds through Saturday. Please pay attention to the information,” the National Weather Service said Thursday.

Storms are expected to unleash more heavy snow and blizzard conditions on Friday, especially in the Midwest.

The storm is expected to become a “bomb cyclone” as it moves eastward across the country. This is a rapidly intensifying storm that drops pressure by 24 millibars within 24 hours. Storm pressure is projected to match that of a Category 2 hurricane as it moves into the Great Lakes on Friday.

Governors of at least 13 states, including the southern states of Georgia and North Carolina, have implemented emergency measures to respond to the storm. State of emergency declarations in several states include National Guard operations.

Additionally, according to FlightAware, as of 7:30 a.m. ET on Friday, more than 3,100 flights within the United States have been cancelled.

• Stays very cold. On Friday, wide areas of the United States will experience record cold temperatures, from the lower Mississippi River northeast into the valleys of Tennessee and Ohio, through the southeast to the southern, central and central Appalachian Mountains. will be recorded. – According to the National Weather Service, the Atlantic Ocean.

• Dangerous cold: The sudden drop in temperature will be accompanied by strong winds, causing dangerously cold temperatures across most of the central and eastern United States.

• Blizzard warning: The Upper Midwest will see frigid temperatures, heavy snow and strong winds. This warning applies to parts of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Michigan. Buffalo, New York, will receive a blizzard warning on Friday morning. Such a warning will go into effect if snow and wind speeds of 35 mph reduce visibility to less than a quarter mile for more than 3 hours.

• Whiteout conditions: A blizzard may continue even after the snow has stopped. This is because high winds can pick up snow already on the ground and reduce visibility.

In addition to heavy snow and blizzard conditions, one of the greatest dangers of storms is a short, sharp drop in temperature. Especially at night, the air will be cooler and you will feel colder.

More cities are seeing a sharp drop in temperatures this week as the Arctic air that blew most of the western United States and the Great Plains head east.

Denver: Denver International Airport saw a 37-degree drop in one hour, according to the National Weather Service.

Chicago: At 11:00 on Wednesday, the temperature dropped 38 degrees in Chicago. In terms of wind chill, it drops 53 degrees from 27 degrees Fahrenheit to -26 degrees Fahrenheit.

St. Louis: In the 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday night, St. Louis temperatures dropped 44 degrees. In terms of wind chill, it dropped 61 degrees from 31 degrees to minus 30 degrees.

Memphis: In the six hours of Wednesday afternoon and evening, temperatures dropped 36 degrees in Memphis. In terms of wind chill, it dropped 54 degrees, from 40 degrees to minus 14 degrees.

Nashville: In just two hours Wednesday night, temperatures in Nashville dropped 29 degrees. In terms of wind chill, it dropped 41 degrees, from 39 degrees to -2 degrees.

Dallas: At 9 hours on Wednesday, the temperature in Dallas dropped 31 degrees. As for wind chill, it dropped 44 degrees from 40 degrees to minus 4 degrees.

Little Rock, Arkansas: At nine hours Wednesday afternoon and night, Little Rock was down 36 degrees. In terms of wind chill, it dropped 52 degrees, from 41 degrees to -11 degrees.

Cheyenne, Wyoming: In about an hour, the temperature in Cheyenne dropped 43 degrees. Even the temperature in the capital he dropped 30 degrees in 10 minutes.