Severe winter weather disrupts travel, NFL games and election campaigns.
Saturday 13 January 2024 at 23:17 UK time
Severe winter weather is causing major disruption in the United States, with a persistent wave of Arctic storms hitting flights, NFL games and election campaigns.
Dangerous cold winds, freezing rain and heavy snow are expected across much of the country this weekend, with temperatures threatening to drop to record lows in the Midwest.
The governors of New York and Louisiana warned residents to prepare for bad weather, with temperatures in parts of Montana falling below minus 34 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, while the National Weather Service said temperatures were likely to reach -46 degrees Celsius in the Dakotas. .
“We've now had several storms in a row,” said Zach Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
At least two people have been linked to the cold weather, including a man whose truck went through ice on a Minnesota lake and a skier caught in an avalanche in Idaho.
More than 1,100 domestic and international flights were canceled on Saturday, while more than 3,500 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.
Republican contenders Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley And the former president Donald Trump All campaign events have been canceled due to the winter storm.
the NFL A playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed until Monday due to dangerous weather conditions, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins in what is expected to be one of the coldest NFL playoff games in history, with the kickoff temperature forecast at -18 degrees Celsius and the wind making it feel like -31 degrees Celsius.
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Some fans donned ski goggles, heated socks and other winter gear before the game.
Chiefs season ticket holder Keaton said he, his family and friends considered selling their tickets, adding: “But we decided it was all part of the experience, and we didn't want to miss it.”
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were without power across the country, especially in Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin, according to the outages.
In Iowa, some cars remained stranded for five hours in blizzards after trucks blocked traffic on Interstate 80, trapping 100 vehicles, while state troopers responded to 86 crashes and 535 calls for help from drivers since Friday.
State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla said road crews were “working like crazy clearing snow,” but high winds were pushing snow directly onto the roads.
