A strong winter storm hit the United States on Wednesday and is expected to sweep the country from west to east, bringing heavy snowfall that will make travel difficult in many regions.
From the Pacific coast to the Great Lakes, much of the country was affected by snowfall that reached up to 60 centimeters of snow in some places, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
As a result, air traffic was largely disrupted and more than 100,000 people lost power.
In addition to the northern part of the country, accustomed to heavy snowfall, other more unexpected areas, including parts of southern California, are subject to snowfall warnings.
Around the Great Lakes, in the north of the country, a “historic winter storm” fell that “probably will make travel impossible” due to the freezing snow and winds between 55 and 70 kilometers per hour, alerted the National Meteorological Service (NWS, in its acronym in English).
“If you need to travel, carry an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle for emergencies. Travel should be limited to emergencies only. If you get stuck, stay in your vehicle,” the NWS advised.
At 10:00 p.m., more than 1,500 flights to or from the United States had been canceled, according to the specialized Flightaware website.
The Denver, Colorado airport was particularly affected.
Road traffic was also hampered, especially in Wyoming, where authorities estimated that “multi-day freeway and secondary road closures are likely” in that northwestern state.
Some 150,000 homes were without power across the country, according to the PowerOutage website, most in California, where high winds caused trees to fall.
An exceptional snowfall warning was issued for the mountains around Los Angeles beginning Thursday morning. The region can be affected by snowfall from 300 meters above sea level.
“Cold and dangerous,” according to local NWS services, the winter storm is expected to remain in the California region “most of the week.”
“Strong and potentially destructive winds are also expected,” forecasters warned.
In addition to mountains, some hills can also ‘get’ snow.
“Almost everyone in California will be able to see snow (…) during the week, if they look in the right direction,” summarized climatologist Daniel Swain, on the social network Twitter.
However, the below-normal temperatures in southern California are still very bearable, unlike the central and northern United States, where they can reach -34 (degrees Celsius).
On the other hand, the east of the country is experiencing an episode of heat above normal for the time of year.
Ohio and the central Atlantic coast are expecting temperatures four degrees above average.
“Temperatures … will be more June than February,” the NWS emphasized.
Source: TSF
