The storm is sweeping across the Northeast, threatening millions of Americans with power outages and the transportation network paralyzed by polar temperatures.
Many supermarkets emptied their shelves of non-perishable food, water and basic necessities in just a few hours.
Twenty states and Washington have declared a state of emergency. More than 9,500 flights to or from the US have been canceled for today, after more than 4,000 were canceled yesterday, and thousands more are experiencing delays, according to the website FlightAware.
BREAKING: WATCH:
🇺🇸:USA- A powerful winter storm the strongest in nearly five years—is set to hit the United States, threatening over 230 million people, as authorities issue widespread warnings and residents rush to prepare.
In preparation, residents have stripped supermarket…
— 𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐀 ® (@Alpha7021)
This winter storm, described as “unusually extensive and prolonged” by the NWS, was caused as very cold masses moved in from Canada.
In New York, where temperatures are expected to remain below freezing throughout the day and Central Park is expected to get up to 30 centimeters of snow, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to avoid non-essential travel today. Within the day, a decision will be made about the possible closing of schools tomorrow, in which case classes will be held online.
They opened reception centers for the homeless
Snowfall was recorded yesterday in the central part of the US, mainly in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, where in some areas last night the height of snow reached 20 cm, according to the NWS.
Dallas, a southern city accustomed to milder temperatures, saw the thermometer read minus 6 degrees Celsius.
In Houston, which has almost 2.4 million inhabitants, reception centers opened yesterday afternoon, mainly for the homeless.
“Last night, I stayed in my tent in the rain, but it wasn’t really cold. But I know that tonight, it will probably cost me my life,” Carroll Eaton, a 71-year-old homeless man in Houston, told AFP.
Binghamton/New York
via Influencer— Storm (@baytroposfer)
As Texas’ power grid suffered widespread damage during the last major winter storm in 2021, authorities rushed to assure that this time the grid would hold up.
According to the website poweroutage.us, about 170,000 households and businesses were without power overnight Saturday into Sunday, including about 50,0000 in Texas and 70,000 in Louisiana.
Donald Trump said yesterday that he had authorized a state of emergency for 12 states on the South and East Coasts, which will allow FEMA, the US Disaster Management Agency, to deploy funds more quickly. “Stay safe and stay warm!” was Trump’s appeal on his platform
