Dangerous arctic blasts continued to batter across the United States on Monday, with more than three-quarters of the country plunged into freezing temperatures and at least four people killed, including an Oregon woman who died when a tree fell on her RV.
Bone-chilling temperatures were expected to set record low temperatures Monday and Tuesday from Oregon to Mississippi (about 79% of the country), threatening NFL playoff games and the Iowa caucuses. .
In a community just south of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend, gusty winds and a slush of snow and ice knocked down about 100 trees, some of which fell onto an RV and started a fire that killed 30 people. This included one in which a woman died.
The other three people fled the fateful mobile home, where firefighters learned people had been using open flames to stay warm. KOIN6 station reported.
Another man died in Oregon after a tree fell on his home, and two others died of suspected hypothermia.
Despite facing brutal wind chills, the National Weather Service said the bitterly cold front has caused temperatures to drop from the Rocky Mountains north to northern Kansas to Iowa, where the nation's first presidential nominating contest will be held on Monday. It warned that temperatures are expected to rise to -30 degrees Celsius. Minus 30s.
Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to “don't sit at home” during Sunday's campaign stop. He said, “If I get sick like a dog, I'll say, 'Darling, I've got to do something.' Even if I vote and die, it's worth it.”
Arctic storm knocks out power to tens of thousands of people in the Northwest, blankets large swaths of the South in snow, batters the Northeast with blizzards and snow squalls, and postpones the NFL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills was forced to. Frigid Buffalo, New York.
Sunday's canceled game was rescheduled for Monday as heavy lake-effect snow in upstate New York was expected to add to the 1 to 2 feet of snow already blanketing the region. , its fate remained uncertain.
The Bills invited fans to help dig up the snow-covered Highmark Stadium, offering them $20 an hour for their efforts.
“We've been shoveling snow, but not much progress,” said storm chaser Logan Eschrich, who traveled to Buffalo to help with the snow removal effort.
Freezing temperatures have hit much of the country, with Montana and the Dakotas experiencing tooth-chilling temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius, and about 100 million people across the country are under cold weather warnings.
Winds blowing up to 25 mph can cause frostbite to exposed skin in just 30 minutes. CNN reported. In South Dakota, -45 degree winds can cause frostbite in just five minutes.
Temperatures could drop 25 to 40 degrees below normal in other parts of the country, from the Rocky Mountains to the Ohio Valley.
Cold weather records of more than 140 per day could be broken from Oregon to Mississippi on Monday and Tuesday.
kentucky Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana have declared states of emergency as an arctic storm batters the country.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Sunday to ramp up response and recovery efforts.
“All Mississippians in affected areas are encouraged to take precautions in the coming days. Prepare your home for subzero temperatures now, bring your pets indoors, and protect yourself from this frigid Please check on your loved ones who are most vulnerable to the weather,” a news release from the governor’s office said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also declared a state of emergency and asked residents to “watch the weather.”
Less than three years after a deadly freeze left millions of Texans without power in 2021, cold snaps caused 'record energy demand' as temperatures plummet in Texas , the state's power grid operator asked residents on Monday to voluntarily save electricity.
On Sunday, widespread power outages were reported in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, affecting tens of thousands of people. The Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska also urged people to conserve electricity to prevent power outages.
Airports across the country were damaged by the arctic explosion. More than half of flights to and from Buffalo Niagara International Airport have been canceled. Numerous flights were also canceled or delayed at airports in Chicago, Denver and Seattle-Tacoma.
with post wire
