At least five people have died as a powerful winter storm grips the United States, triggering widespread school closures, travel disruptions, and power outages.
The storm, fuelled by a polar vortex of icy air typically confined to the North Pole, has left a trail of destruction across several states.
Emergencies have been declared in seven states:Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Arkansas due to the storm’s severity.
More than 2,300 flights have been cancelled, and nearly 9,000 delays have been reported. According to data from Poweroutage.us, over 200,000 people were left without electricity on Monday night.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts continued snow and sleet in the northeastern US on Tuesday, followed by persistent icy conditions caused by Arctic air over the coming weeks.
In Washington, DC, the storm dumped between 5 and 9 inches of snow, with some areas in neighbouring Maryland and Virginia recording up to a foot.
Despite the challenges, residents embraced the snowfall, turning the Washington Monument grounds into a snowball battleground. “Just having fun,” a local man told the BBC.
“Never done a snowball fight before.” Former US Olympic skier Clare Egan was also spotted cross-country skiing on the National Mall, telling the Associated Press, “I thought my skiing days were maybe behind me.”
The storm, named Winter Storm Blair by the Weather Channel, prompted Washington, DC, to declare a weather emergency until early Tuesday. Schools across multiple states, including Maryland, Virginia, and Kansas, remained closed, giving children an unexpected snow day.
In other parts of the country, the storm caused treacherous road conditions and multiple fatalities. Missouri authorities reported 365 road accidents on Sunday, resulting in dozens of injuries and at least one death.
In Kansas, two people died in a car crash during the storm, while in Houston, Texas, a person succumbed to the freezing conditions at a bus stop. Virginia authorities also reported 300 crashes overnight, with at least one fatality.
Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist at MyRadar, described Kansas City as experiencing “the heaviest snow in 32 years” and warned that areas near the Ohio River had turned into “skating rinks.” His advice was stark: “The ploughs are getting stuck, the police are getting stuck, everybody’s getting stuck—stay home.”
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