Snow, ice, strong winds and dangerously low temperatures. This is the summary of the intense winter cold storm that is hitting the United States and that has more than 60 million Americans on alert. The storm has forced the closure of schools, road closures, the cancellation of more than 1,700 flights and the delay of another 3,000 in several states since early Monday morning, mainly those from the center and south to the east coast.
At least six states of the countryincluding Virginia and Missouri, as well as the District of Columbia, They have declared a state of emergency Due to the storm and local authorities have canceled classes in schools and called for extreme precautions. In Kansas, Nebraska and Indiana, accumulating snow and ice has caused roads are impassable. Thus, in this last state the National Guard has been activated to assist stranded drivers, while almost 300,000 homes and businesses in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri have been left without electricity, according to the site. web PowerOutage.us.
In Washington, it is expected that up to 15 centimeters of snow may accumulate, making this storm one of the largest in recent years. Precisely, the capital will be one of the most affected points, since, as the NWS warned, the storm is moving from the central plains of the United States towards the east coast. In fact, at some points of Kansas and Missouriwhich are located in the center of the country, have already accumulated up to 45 centimeters of snow. “In the most affected areas this could be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the NWS warns.
School closures have been widespread. In states such as Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas and Maryland, schools announced this Monday the cancellation of classes. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Maryland Governor Wes Moore have declared the states of emergency and urged the population to stay at home to avoid accidents. “We see too many accidents on the roads; we ask everyone to stay safe inside their homes,” Beshear urged.
Between 12 and 25 degrees below
For his part, the governor of Maryland has stressed in a statement that maintaining safety is his “top priority”: “Please stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and your family and charge your communication devices by if you run out of electricity.
Starting this Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the US will experience dangerously chilling cold and wind chills, according to meteorologists. Temperatures could be between 12 and 25 degrees below normal. In Louisville, Kentucky, there has been a record snowfall of 19.5 centimeters on Sunday, surpassing a record that had stood since 1910.
Air transport has been seriously affected, with more than 1,700 flights canceled and about 3,000 delayed at airports across the country this Monday, according to the portal. FlightAware. The most affected airports are Ronald Reagan National, Washington Dulles and Baltimore (all near the US capital) and St. Louis Lambert International in Missouri.
Rail transport has not escaped the chaos of the storm either. Already on Sunday, Amtrak canceled more than 20 routes, and had at least 40 additional cancellations scheduled for Monday. “If the authorities ask you not to travel, it is not wise to maintain services operational,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
And over the weekend, US authorities reported hundreds of traffic accidents in states such as Missouri, Indiana, Kansas and Virginia. Just in the latter, at least 230 collisions have been recorded in 12 hours, with more than 20 injured and one fatal accident under investigation. Additionally, Missouri Police have reported that a man has died after being hit by a truck that was sliding on the ice of the road.
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