Seven US states have declared a state of emergency as a winter storm turns deadly, claiming the lives of five people.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning some areas are at risk of seeing their “heaviest snowfall in at least a decade”.
The storm has built across the US since Saturday, producing heavy snow and significant ice, making road conditions increasingly dangerous.
More than 60 million people across some 30 states have been under weather alerts, while the NWS has warnings in place for heavy snowfall from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey.
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A polar vortex is driving the winter storm, which began to strike over the weekend and is passing through much of North America. Pic: NOAA / AP
As of Monday afternoon, governors from Maryland, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky have declared a state of emergency in response to the storm.
Maryland governor Wes Moore urged residents to “stay off the roads,” while a government statement noted the state will see its heaviest snowfall after midnight on Monday.
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Seven governors – including Kentucky’s – have declared a state of emergency over the storm. Pic: AP
Deadly impact of storm
There have been five weather-related deaths so far. Sky News’ US partner NBC News said a man suffered a fatal injury while removing snow in Missouri’s Jackson County.
Two people in their 20s were also killed when their vehicle rolled down an embankment in Kansas. While in Texas, a man’s body was found at a bus shelter in Harris County, Houston. It is believed he died from the effects of the cold weather.
Reuters previously reported a man had died in southeast Virginia after losing control of his pick-up truck, with police citing both alcohol and the weather as factors.
National Guard deployed to highways
Meanwhile, the National Guard was deployed in Kansas, western Nebraska, and parts of Indiana to help drivers stranded on roads covered in snow and ice.
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The National Guard was activated in Indiana to help stranded drivers. Pic: AP
The Indiana National Guard said on social media that approximately 120 of its guardsmen were supporting motorists and emergency services in the state, where Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and US Route 41 were partially covered in snow.
Conditions were so adverse in Indiana that State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle said snow ploughs “go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again”.
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Authorities added at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, and hundreds of car accidents were reported in Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky – where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit.
Virginia State Police also reported 300 car crashes between midnight and 11am on Monday, while the Maryland State Police received 123 crash reports between 1am and 11am.
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The polar vortex pushed cold weather into central states, like Ohio. Pic: AP
The winter storm is being driven by a polar vortex, usually located around the North Pole, which has dipped south and stretched from between the Rocky Mountains to Maine.
DC snowball fight and flights cancelled
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Snowball fights start in Washington DC
Elsewhere, people in Washington DC gathered for a massive snowball battle in the city’s Meridian Hill Park.
While Congress did meet to formally certify Donald Trump’s election as president, schools and federal buildings were closed over the conditions.
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A huge snowball fight broke out at Washington DC’s Meridian Hill Park on Monday. Pic: Reuters
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Congress met at the US Capitol to certify Donald Trump’s election win despite the weather. Pic: Reuters
The storms have also caused electrical outages for hundreds of thousands of people, with 190,241 customers without power as of 6am UK time, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us.
At one point on Monday, nearly 320,000 were affected by supply problems.
Meanwhile, the airline tracking service from FlightAware.com said 2,331 flights within, into and out of the US had been cancelled on Monday. There were also delays to 9,203 flights.
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Publish date : 2025-01-06 18:40:00
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Author : theamericannews
Publish date : 2025-01-12 22:16:28
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