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More than 60 people have died as a result of the severe winter storm in the United States. According to media reports, 62 people have been reported dead across the country, with Buffalo being the hardest hit.
Temperatures dropped as low as 27 degrees (minus 2.7 Celsius) in central Florida over the weekend.
The dead were discovered in cars, homes, and snowbanks in Buffalo. Some people died while shoveling snow, while others died because emergency crews were unable to respond quickly to medical emergencies. Democrat Poloncarz called the blizzard “the worst storm probably in our lifetime,” even for a region known for heavy snowfall.
More bodies are expected to be discovered as the snow melts.
The winter storm stranded some people in their cars for days, closed the city’s airport, and left some residents shivering in the cold.
Over 4,000 homes and businesses remained without power as of late Tuesday morning.
The rest of the country was also reeling, with at least another two dozen storm deaths reported elsewhere and power outages in communities ranging from Maine to Washington state.
DRIVING BANNED IN BUFFALO
On Tuesday, snow-covered roads forced state and military police in Buffalo to impose a driving ban within New York’s second-most populous city. Despite the reopening of suburban roads and most major highways in the area, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz warned that police would be stationed at Buffalo’s entrances and major intersections.
Meanwhile, officials kept counting the number of fatalities three days after western New York’s deadliest storm in at least two generations.
Officials say more than 30 people have died in the region, including seven storm-related deaths announced Tuesday by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown’s office.
The death toll exceeds that of the historic blizzard of 1977, which was blamed for the deaths of up to 29 people in an area known for harsh winter weather.
SEVERE RAINS, STRONG WINDS, AND SNOW IN CALIFORNIA
California experienced strong winds, rain, and snow, as well as significantly lower temperatures that reached 80 degrees (26.6 Celsius) in some areas over Christmas.
The National Weather Service reported numerous reports of roadway flooding and downed trees and branches as the storm blew into the northern half of the state and spread south.
The website of Pacific Gas & Electric showed numerous power outages across Northern California.
Winter storm warnings have been issued for the Sierra Nevada, warning motorists that travel could be hazardous.
Some highways required chains or snow tyres.
The Reno, Nevada, weather office reported gusts of up to 120 mph (193 kph) on some Sierra ridgetops. Avalanche warnings have been issued for parts of the mountain range.
FLIGHTS CANCELLED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
On Tuesday, the US government chastised Southwest Airlines for canceling thousands of flights. Its owner stated that the low-cost carrier’s legacy airline systems needed to be upgraded.
Thousands of flights were cancelled a day earlier as a massive winter storm swept across much of the country, but Southwest’s problems have worsened while other airlines have recovered.
Since Friday, the Dallas-based carrier, which typically operates an aggressive schedule that connects vast swaths of the country, has canceled over 12,000 flights.
According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, it cancelled more than two-thirds of its 4,000 scheduled flights on Tuesday, accounting for more than 90% of all US airline cancellations.
For the next few days, the airline said it would operate roughly one-third of its daily flights.
The airline also stated that it would reimburse customers for travel-related expenses and that thousands of requests had already been processed by early Tuesday.
US President Joe Biden, taking stock of the situation, said his administration was working to ensure airlines were “held accountable,” according to a tweet on his official POTUS handle.
Source:IT
