A deadly winter storm disrupts Christmas in the United States world | Dr..

A powerful winter storm lashing the United States with heavy snow and polar winds killed at least 17 people on Saturday (12.24.2022), knocked out power to half a million people and stranded thousands of travelers due to canceled flights hours before Christmas.

Authorities confirmed at least 17 storm-related deaths in eight states. Heavy snow, hurricane-force winds and frigid temperatures kept much of the country, including the usually temperate south, freezing for the third straight day on Saturday.

The “bomb hurricane,” defined by the National Weather Service as a “once in a generation,” caused about 2,800 flights to be canceled Saturday and delay another 6,600, one day after nearly 6,000 takeoffs were cancelled, according to the specialist website FlightAware.

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted on Saturday that “most severe disruptions are behind us as airline and airport operations gradually recover.”

Travelers expect a miracle

Many travelers stranded at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit and New York are hoping for a Christmas miracle that will allow them to arrive in time for the festivities.

This is the case of Zack Cuyler, 35, who will have to spend Christmas Eve with his friends in New York, after twice canceling his flight to Houston, where he is to meet his family.

Although he admitted he was “very surprised” by the postponements, he estimated that he would be able to meet his loved ones at noon on Sunday, Christmas Day.

Power outages shifted in some cities

According to Poweroutage.us, the states hardest hit by the outage are North Carolina, Maine, and Tennessee, where the thermometer mostly indicated temperatures below zero.

As of 11:00pm CET on Saturday, around 530,000 users were still without power due to the effects of the extreme cold, according to the site.

Due to the high demand for energy, some cities have begun to implement rotating blackouts, sometimes preventing people from heating their homes.

deadly ways

In many countries, roads have become impassable or extremely dangerous, resulting in fatal accidents.

Governor Mike DeWine said four people were killed in storm-related incidents in Ohio.

In New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard to Erie County and its main city, Buffalo, where authorities said emergency services collapsed in severe snowstorm conditions.

A travel ban had been issued in this area the day before. But Erie County Sheriff Mark Poloncars said Saturday that “there may be hundreds of people trapped in their cars, including those who tried to get out late last night.” He added that two people died due to medical problems because they could not be rescued.

In Buffalo, snow buried sidewalks, streets, and driveways.

“Don’t leave your car!” the local weather services tweeted. They recommended “attaching a piece of clothing to an antenna or a window to indicate that you need help.”

Road closures due to snow

Road ice also closed major highways, including Interstate 70 across the country, with sections of it closed in Colorado and Kansas.

In cities such as Denver or Chicago, shelters have been opened to receive those in need, to allow them to keep warm and to protect them from the danger of hypothermia.

The NWS said the storm is expected to continue through the weekend before temperatures return to normal in the middle of next week.

This type of storm is caused by a “low pressure bomb”, a collision between two air masses, one very cold from the Arctic and the other tropical from the Gulf of Mexico, exacerbated by a very rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure, in less than 24 hours.

Canada weather alert

Until then, “If you must travel or be outdoors, prepare for extreme cold by wearing multiple layers of clothing and covering as much skin as possible,” the service wrote on Saturday. “In some places, being outside can lead to frostbite in a matter of minutes.”

Strong winds over 95 km/h are expected to cause further damage, including falling trees on power lines.

Canada was also affected by the storm, and weather alerts were issued for all provinces.

Hundreds of thousands of people have lost power in Ontario and Quebec, and airports in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have been affected by canceled flights.

Passengers on several stopped trains in Ontario have reported being in carriages for up to 18 hours due to severe weather conditions.

jc (@afp, efe)