Monster Winter Storm Affects 240 Million Americans, Over 14K Flights Cancelled 10 Latest Updates

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The monster storm is wreaking havoc across the United States, affecting up to 240 million Americans – more than half the US population, warned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The storm has also led to the cancellation of at least 14,000 flights over the weekend, knocked out power and snarled major roadways with dangerous ice.

According to the National Weather Service, widespread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain were reported across parts of the plains, the south and the Midwest, including in areas of Oklahoma, Iowa, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas and Missouri, knocking out power and snarling major roadways with dangerous ice.

Americans have been warned to brace for a string of frigid days.

Also Read | US Winter Storm LIVE Updates: More than 10,000 flights cancelled, says report Check the latest updates on monster storm here:

• A warning of a life-threatening cold that could last a week post-storm has been issued by the authorities, especially in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind chill lows were forecast to dip to extremes under -50F (-45C).
• Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told AP that the snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt, and“won't be going away anytime soon, and that's going to hinder any recovery efforts”.
• US President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for at least 16 states and the US capital, Washington, by Saturday, with more expected.
• “We just ask that everyone would be smart – stay home if possible,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, noting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff, and search-and-rescue teams in numerous states.

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• “Five or six minutes outside could literally be dangerous for your health,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents. She also urged them to keep a check on vulnerable neighbours.
• As many as three people were found dead on New York City streets on Saturday afternoon. All three died as a result of“weather-related circumstances”, according to NBC News.
• National Weather Service (NWS) forecast huge snowfall in some areas and possibly“catastrophic” ice accumulations.“The snow/sleet impacts will linger well into next week with rounds of re-freezing that keeps surfaces icy and dangerous to both drive and walk on for the foreseeable future.”
• Snow also hit Oklahoma and Arkansas, where some spots already recorded six inches (15 centimetres) on the ground, the NWS said.
• More than 14,000 flights were cancelled Saturday and Sunday across the US, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. This is reportedly the most cancellations on any single day since the coronavirus pandemic, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Also Read | US winter storm alert: Check region-wise forecast for snow, ice and extreme cold

• About 140,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday, including more than 58,000 in Louisiana about 50,000 in Texas, according to poweroutage.
• After battering the country's southwest and central areas, the storm system is expected to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states before a frigid air mass settles in.
• For the US as a whole, the storm may be one of the most expansive in the US since a 1993“superstorm,” said Rob Carolan, chief executive officer of Hometown Forecast Services.
• The brutal storm system is the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air spilling across North America.
• Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions of the polar vortex may be linked to climate change, though the debate is not settled and natural variability plays a role.

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