At Least 50 Dead Due to Extreme Winter in the US
Heavy snowfall and temperatures as low as minus 26 degrees Celsius have resulted in at least 50 deaths due to extreme winter weather in the US over the past two weeks. In Oregon, 75,000 people were left without power.
Winter weather has been causing chaos in wide parts of the US for days, with subzero temperatures, heavy snowfall, ice, and cold winds. According to authorities, at least 50 people have lost their lives so far due to weather-related accidents and hypothermia.
In the southern state of Tennessee alone, authorities reported 17 deaths. Among them was a 25-year-old man found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg. The County Sheriff’s Office stated that a heater had tipped over and turned off, and the walls were covered in ice.
Broken water pipes, postponed surgeries
The extended cold spell caused so many water pipes to burst in Memphis, Tennessee, that the water pressure in the entire city dropped. On Friday, all of the city’s more than 400,000 residents were asked to boil their drinking water or use bottled water for drinking or brushing their teeth.
The winter weather also resulted in a decrease in blood donations. The central blood bank based in Tennessee urged over 70 hospitals across five states to suspend non-essential surgeries for the time being.
Midwest and East Coast Particularly Affected
On Friday, the governor of Kentucky confirmed five deaths related to the winter weather. In the northwestern state of Oregon, three people suffered an electric shock, according to the Portland Fire Department, when a power line fell onto their parked car. Due to the winter storm, 75,000 people in Oregon were left without power, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.
According to police reports, five women died in an accident involving a tractor-trailer on a highway in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Additional fatalities were reported in the states of Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, Wisconsin, and Washington.
Two Meters of Snow in Five Days
Intense snowstorms have been sweeping across the US for days. The state of New York, particularly near the city of Buffalo, has been heavily impacted, with meteorologists reporting nearly two meters of fresh snowfall within five days.
The icy weather has even reached deep into the southern regions of the country, which are unaccustomed to such conditions.
Numerous schools throughout the country have remained closed due to snowfall and arctic temperatures. Flight operations have also been affected, with over 1,100 flights canceled and an additional 8,000 delayed on Friday, according to Flightaware.
The Weekend to Remain Frigid, Followed by Warmer Conditions
On Friday, the National Weather Service warned of further dangerous winter storms and icy temperatures in the Midwest and East Coast. In wide parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Kansas, temperatures could drop to as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius).
The National Weather Service cautioned that trees and power lines already covered in ice could topple if more ice forms. Falling icicles will continue to pose a danger as well.
Next week, temperatures are expected to rise, leading to significant snowmelt in many areas. The National Weather Service warned of heavy rainfall in the southern region and isolated flooding.