Deadly winter storm knocks out power for 1.5m in US and Canada

Deadly winter storm knocks out power for 1.5m in US and Canada

Nearly 1.5 million people are without power across several states as a powerful Arctic winter storm sweeps through the US and Canada.

Large parts of both countries are under winter weather alerts that stretch from coast-to-coast and as far south as the US-Mexico border.

The storm has brought damaging winds and freezing temperatures that can quickly lead to frostbite.

At least six storm-related deaths have been reported in the US.
Major airports have cancelled thousands of flights as the storm intensifies.

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As of Friday morning, more than 1,450,000 people from Texas to Maine had no electricity as intense winds damaged power lines.

Power outages have also been reported in Canada, affecting 317,900 people in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

The US National Weather Service said that over 200 million people - or roughly 60% of the US population - are under some form of winter weather advisory.

Much of Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, is also under extreme cold and winter storm warnings. Several school boards in Ontario, including Toronto, have cancelled classes.

This storm is set to bring the iciest Christmas in decades, say forecasters, even affecting the sunshine state of Florida.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said temperatures of -50F (-45C) and even -70F were possible. They warned that even in major metro areas, like the city of Des Moines, Iowa, frostbite will be a major danger.

In the US, the bad weather has been linked to several deaths. Three fatal car crashes have been reported in the state of Kansas due to poor road conditions.

At least three others have died in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said on Friday - two were killed in car accidents and another person described as "housing insecure" has died. In Fort Worth, Texas, a man who was thought to be homeless died after being found outside in the bitter cold.

Meteorologists have described the winter storm as a bomb cyclone, a term given to an explosive storm that intensifies rapidly, with its central air pressure dropping by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.

"This is not like a snow day, when you were a kid, this is serious stuff," President Joe Biden said in a White House briefing on Thursday.
The Arctic air mass is projected to bring strong wind gusts and temperature of 15F (-9.4C) to El Paso, Texas, where newly arrived undocumented migrants are sleeping rough on city streets.

The storm has already wreaked havoc from Colorado to Wyoming, and north in Minnesota.

In just 12 hours, Wyoming Highway Patrol received 787 calls for help and recorded 104 crashes.

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In South Dakota, Rosebud Sioux Tribe emergency manager Robert Oliver said workers were trying to clear roads which had about 10 feet (3m) of snow in some sections.

Mr Oliver said authorities did not have enough equipment, and in one instance the rescue of people stranded in their homes had to be halted as the hydraulic fluid in heavy equipment froze.

In addition to the storm itself, there are fears of power failures - some providers are already urging customers to turn down their thermostats.

The governor of New York state, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm.

The threat of flooding and ice jams are "going to wreak a lot of havoc in our community", she said. Ice jams happen when large pieces of ice block the flow of a river and can cause flooding.

Flooding has been reported in the northeast, including New York state and Rhode Island, where some roads have been closed on Friday due to storm surge and high tides.

The governors of Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Oklahoma have also declared states of emergency, while Wisconsin declared an "energy emergency".

Ohio governor, Mike DeWine, called the weather a "unique and dangerous situation", particularly as people travel to be with loved ones over Christmas.

Florida is projected to see its coldest Christmas in 30 years.

The NWS has described it as a "once-in-a-generation" winter weather event, saying on Thursday that "life-threatening wind chills" will strike the east coast on Friday.

The NWS warned more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken over the next few days.

In Colorado, temperatures dipped to a record-breaking low of -9F from 42F on Thursday
The city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, set a record for its greatest one-hour temperature drop, after going from 43F to 3F within 30 minutes. Elsewhere in the western state, temperatures have dropped as low as -35F
Nearly a dozen record low temperatures were also set in neighbouring Montana
In Chicago, a winter storm warning is in effect until Saturday, bringing with it several inches of snow and winds topping 50mph (80km/h)
In Canada, much of Ontario and parts of Quebec are also bracing for a major winter storm that is expected to last through the Christmas weekend
More than 6,900 flights in the US have already been cancelled on Thursday and Friday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

In Canada, WestJet alone has cancelled 266 flights on Friday.

In anticipation of travel disruptions, major airlines including United, Delta and American have offered to waive fees for travellers who wish to reschedule their flights.