US: Extreme Cold and Polar Temperatures Sweep Across States

Dozens of polar temperature records are being broken across the northern United States, with thermometers dropping as low as -30 degrees Celsius and a wind chill making it feel like -45, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Arctic blast warnings affect 220 million people, and the death toll has risen to between 20 and 30.

One million Americans are facing power outages in the southern United States. In Oxford, Mississippi, ice accumulation has paralyzed the city, leaving thousands without power. New York City has reported eight deaths from the worst snowstorms in half a century, while the Hudson River is turning into ice floes.

Much of the northeastern US is bracing for new snowstorms this coming weekend. The arctic blast has cut a destructive 4,000-kilometer path across the country. Sparks are flying from downed power lines in Nashville, Tennessee, where even century-old trees have succumbed to the ice storm.

More than one million households in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky remain without power. In Canada, airports are paralyzed, with over 20,000 flight cancellations. Nearly half a meter of snow has covered Interstate 95 in the northeast. More than 5,300 National Guard members from 15 states are involved in driver rescue operations.

Source: ERT