Severe storms and frigid temperatures that swept the United States last week have resulted in 50 weather-related deaths, according to American media reports last Friday. As large areas of the country brace for more cold winds, these extreme weather conditions have caused a series of disruptions and tragedies.
Frigid temperatures, snowstorms, and thick ice layers led to fatal traffic accidents, chaos in air travel, school closures, power outages affecting thousands, and weather warnings for millions of Americans, as reported by Agence France-Presse. In Tennessee, state health authorities confirmed the death of 14 people due to the cold weather. Additionally, a traffic accident on a Pennsylvania highway last Tuesday claimed the lives of five women returning from a pilgrimage in Mecca, according to the police.
Kentucky recorded five weather-related deaths, announced by Governor Andy Beshear in a statement last Friday. In Oregon, three people died from electrocution when a power cable fell on their parked car during an ice storm on Wednesday, as per Portland’s fire department. The storm also caused power outages for 75,000 customers in Oregon as of Friday evening, according to Power Outage US, leading the state governor to declare an emergency.
Deaths were reported in Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, Wisconsin, and Washington State, where it is believed that five people died from the cold, local media reported citing officials in Seattle. Snowstorms hit various parts of the country, including the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, and parts of New England in the Northeast, especially western New York. Meteorologists reported that around 1.9 meters of snow fell near Buffalo over five days this week.
The frigid temperatures extended to the southern United States, unaccustomed to such harsh winters. More severe weather conditions are expected in parts of the United States by the end of the week. The National Weather Service warned in its latest alerts on Friday that “a new Arctic blast will bring cold temperatures and dangerous winds to the Plains region and the Mississippi Valley in the eastern United States.” Air travel was in disarray on Friday, with more than 1,100 flights canceled in the United States and over 8,000 delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
