A cold front passing through the United States disrupted the pre-holiday plans of Americans, canceled thousands of flights, and covered roads with snow.
Yesterday, more than 2,156 flights – domestic or international: to or from the USA – were not performed. To date, another 1,576 flights have been canceled ahead of schedule. Chicago and Denver’s airports have reported the most canceled flights so far.
Homeless shelters are full. In Kansas City, Missouri, one person died after their car overturned in an icy river.
Cold air is moving east across the central states, and wind and cold warnings are affecting about 135 million people. In Montana, the temperature dropped to minus 46 degrees Celsius. Schools and ski resorts are closed, and several thousand customers are left without electricity. In Des Moines and Iowa, the temperature feels minus 38 degrees Celsius with the wind. These temperatures enable frostbite in less than five minutes.
In Buffalo, New York, forecasters predict heavy snowfall and wind gusts of up to 105 km/h, while Denver recorded minus 31 degrees Celsius, the coldest day in 32 years.
It’s currently snowing in the Chicago area, minus 18 degrees Celsius, but with the wind, it feels like minus 31 degrees, and the thermometer continues to drop. According to meteorologists, it will be even colder tomorrow.