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The fearsome winter storm that forecasters likened to a hurricane inside a blizzard swept across the United States on Friday, knocking out at least 1.5 million people while exposing nearly two-thirds of Americans to a extreme: snow Freezing rain floods Wind that tramples the trees. Cold air that could cause frostbite in ten minutes.
The Arctic blast sent temperatures plummeting, some at record speeds, as blizzards choked the Great Lakes region and western New York. Even winter-tested cities like Chicago and Detroit closed holiday attractions and urged people to stay inside. The air was so cold that steam rose from the waters of the Ohio River and Lake Michigan.
The storm that the National Weather Service described as “once in a generation” began Thursday and is expected to last through the Christmas weekend, eventually cutting a 2,000-mile path across much of the country. By Friday evening, the barrage of elements had intensified into a “bomb cyclone”, which forms when cold, dry air from the north collides with warm, moist air from the tropics. The danger zone stretched from Canada to Mexico and from Washington state to Florida.
The powerful storm did not respect international borders: In Canada, as in the United States, whiteout conditions and strong winds spurred flight cancellations, closed major highways and left hundreds of thousands without power. In southwestern Ontario, a 100-vehicle pileup blocked parts of Highway 401, a major thoroughfare.
In the United States, where almost half of the lower 48 states were subject to strong winds, 12 governors declared a state of emergency. Outages caused by flurries of storms affected power on the East Coast and Texas, with the worst impacts in Virginia and North Carolina.
“I called it the kitchen sink storm because it’s throwing everything at us except the kitchen sink,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said at a news conference Friday. “We’ve had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures and everything Mother Nature could throw at us this weekend.”
Travelers across the country who defied suggestions to stay at home were forced through logistical nightmares. US airlines canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Friday, adding to earlier disruptions ahead of the busiest time of the year for family gatherings. Train and bus systems are closed. Road closures stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Traffic on the freeway has come to a standstill.
Authorities counted at least nine road deaths as the storm moved across the country: The Kansas Highway Patrol and Oklahoma Highway Patrol each reported three deaths from storm-related crashes; Kentucky reported two traffic deaths; Ohio reported one.
Chey Eisenman, who runs a car service in Minneapolis, said drivers were struggling on the slippery pavement.
“They barely get the cars out of the ditch, and there are more cars in the ditch,” he said. “I think people are tired trying to get their loved ones to the airport, and maybe some inexperienced Uber drivers.”
More than 200 million Americans were under alerts for potentially hazardous weather in their area, the National Weather Service said, representing “one of the largest measures of winter weather advisories and warnings.” Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tallahassee were expected to set records, respectively, for their coldest Christmas nights.
Defying its can-do adage, the US Postal Service said the storm had forced the closure of dozens of post offices, and both Amazon and FedEx also warned of package delays disrupting the frantic rush to pre- Christmas
Across the frozen zone, public libraries and police stations opened their doors to those seeking warmth, and charities focused on helping vulnerable people get back on their feet. Lisa Freeman, executive director of Compass House, a homeless shelter in Buffalo, said outreach teams had to act quickly to prevent suffering or death. As the storm approached, volunteers searched areas where people were known to be sleeping in tents or piles of blankets.
“Walk around and try to find people,” Freeman said. “Then you get back in your car and warm up. It’s crazy and cold and you just have to try to manage it.”
In the middle of the afternoon, authorities he had imposed a travel ban on the area. “This is why,” tweeted a Buffalo weather account, embedding a video of blinding whiteout conditions on the road. Winds peaked at 71 mph. Visibility remained less than a quarter of a mile Friday and dropped to zero at times.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown gave an afternoon update on the dire conditions in his darkened home after he and thousands of other residents lost power as the storm dumped what is expected to up to four feet of snow in the lakefront town. By 5pm, when the temperature was around 7 degrees, the city’s electricity supplier, National Grid, estimated that up to 20,000 customers were without power.
Even the city’s two warming centers were without power, but conditions were too dangerous, the utility said, for its crews to work to restore it.
“If you lose power in your home, probably the safest thing right now is to shelter in your home instead of going out and trying to find shelter,” Brown said. The city instituted a driving ban Friday because of “whiteout conditions” across the region, but the mayor said stranded drivers who ignored the ban were “clogging up the 911 system” and their calls were not being answered. they considered “high priority calls at this time”. time.”
“I didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” said Jaeger Martino, a 23-year-old college student from Niagara Falls who said he left his home to try to move his car to avoid getting stuck in the snow. “But when I got in my car, my windshield was frozen and it was just a complete blank, you couldn’t see anything in front of you.”
In Colorado, roads covered in ice and snow. Airlines canceled 647 flights from Denver International Airport in 24 hours. The Coliseum, home to the National Western Stock Show each January, became a warming center for hundreds of people who had no shelter.
In Michigan, the wind was too strong Friday for anyone to fix power outages that affected thousands, utility officials said, but hundreds of field workers were prepared to keep the problem going until Christmas Day. The number of power outages reported by DTE Energy had nearly tripled by evening to 8,000 in greater Detroit.
For kids upset about missing the Detroit Zoo’s annual light show, another casualty of the extreme weather, one source of joy was still running: live cameras trained on sea otters and penguins. (The waterfowl continued to wander about as usual.)
In St. Paul, Minnesota, not all the holiday cheer was lost in the frigid weather. The crowd braved the sub-zero calm to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a music group with a huge fan base in the Twin Cities.
Inside the Xcel Energy Center, Ellise Lamb said she wasn’t going to let the black ice stop her from attending the show. However, as he drove in, he saw car parts all over Interstate 494.
“You can see where they slipped,” he said. “Parties went on and on.” His survival mantra, he added: “Just go slow. We know how to do that.”
In Philadelphia, another city accustomed to punishing weather, Laamia Hussain, a 25-year-old analyst, was carrying groceries home on Friday when she noticed the power had gone out in her building. This meant he had to carry the bags up six flights of stairs.
“I wasn’t expecting this workout,” he said. He had wanted to stock up on essentials before the winter weather became too dreary.
Now she’s not sure when the power will return. Outside his window, he sees streets covered in snow. “There’s also crazy wind,” he said. “My windows keep rattling.”
Luckily, thanks to a tip from a friend, he had charged his devices to capacity. As for herself, Hussain said she kept her coat on and buried herself under blankets. If the lights didn’t come back on soon, he planned to go to a friend’s house that still had power.
Matt Brown, a 31-year-old Spanish teacher in Manhattan, said he hoped to arrive in Chicago by Christmas Eve. But his Saturday flight is uncertain.
“But it looks like…yeah. I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “I’m glad I had insurance for that.”
The goal was to eat his mother’s cooking at Christmas with a Hallmark movie on the TV. However, if she were to stay in New York, maybe she would bundle up and go out to dinner. At least her school was able to throw a classroom holiday party for the kids, complete with karaoke renditions of “Feliz Navidad.”
“It’s 50 degrees right now,” he said, speaking from the festivities.
“But it will be done until 13 later,” said one of his students.
“I’ll have to prepare myself mentally,” he replied.
On Long Island, storm-driven flooding ravaged neighborhoods on the South Shore. The video showed a school bus wading through brown water and part of the Long Island Rail Road temporarily closed. Communities along the Jersey shore and Connecticut shore also reported flooding.
The extent of the storm brought even distant northeastern states into the target zone. Tennessee’s state power company briefly ordered blackouts in response to what it called “unprecedented” demand before rescinding the move and asking customers to try to conserve energy. Nashville asked residents to let the sun shine through the curtains and to “wear a cozy sweater, warm socks or a blanket.”
In Des Moines, the subzero temperatures were too cold for ice skating. The center court was forced to close.
“If people are outside for more than 10 or 15 minutes, it’s too dangerous,” said Ben Page, director of parks and recreation.
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