Severe winter weather set to affect millions across the US will bring freezing temperatures and could impact on travel plans this holiday season.
Almost 33 million people are under winter storm watches as an Arctic blast and major storm system descend on several parts of the country, Axios reports. An estimated 27 million Americans are also under windchill alerts.
Starting on Tuesday, states in the Great Plains including Montana and North Dakota were experiencing below-freezing temperatures and snow, CNN reported. High temperatures for the day in Minnesota are also below freezing, with the National Weather Service alerting that a blizzard is “highly likely” in parts of the state.
“By Thursday, wind gusts of 40-50mph appear likely. With the fluffy snow in place, blizzard conditions are highly likely area-wide, even in areas that typically aren’t favoured for whiteout conditions,” said the National Weather Service.
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Seattle and other cities throughout Washington state are also facing major storms, the Associated Press reported. The National Weather Service reported that parts of Washington are already experiencing heavy snow, upwards of 18 inches in the Olympic and Cascade mountains area. Seattle officials have already put out alerts for people to avoid travel on Tuesday and reminders that the city’s shelters were open.
Severe storms are also expected to hit much of the midwest and northeast regions, according to Accuweather. Major cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee are preparing for possible inclement weather that is predicted to touch down on Thursday, with temperatures already dipping below freezing.
The National Weather Service has already cautioned would-be travellers to make alternate plans, with 2.9 million people being expected to travel through Chicago’s major airports ahead of the holiday weekend, NBC Chicago reported.
Over the past weekend, areas of the northeast also saw heavy snow, including New York, New England, Vermont and Maine. More than 5 million people were under winter weather alerts including winter storm warnings, reported CNN.
More than 200,000 homes and businesses in the impacted states experienced power outages on Saturday, including 28,900 homes and businesses in New York.
Southern states may also be affected by harsh winter weather, said the National Weather Service. Freezing temperatures were forecast in Texas cities such as Austin and Houston.
“People need to prepare for a hard freeze [on] Friday and Saturday,” said Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, on Monday.
Mr Turner and other Houston officials announced that the city’s warming centres and shelters will all be open by Thursday.
The National Weather Service assured residents that this year’s bout of cold winter weather should not be as severe as last year’s storms, where millions in Texas lost power amid winter weather.
Meanwhile, heavy snowfall and low visibility from a strong winter storm blanketing Pacific Canada forced the country’s second busiest airport in Vancouver to halt all flights on Tuesday morning, with disruptions expected to continue ahead of the Christmas weekend.
The Vancouver International Airport said the storm has had “an unprecedented impact on flights” and caused mass cancellations overnight.
“Travel continues to be significantly impacted this morning and we anticipate cancellations and delays to continue through the day and the week ahead,” the airport said in a statement.
A low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean combined with very cold Arctic air over British Columbia dragged temperatures down and brought up to 25cm of snow to parts of the western province overnight, a meteorologist with Environment Canada said.
Crews were clearing the airfield and aircraft of snow and ice to get planes and people moving again, the Vancouver airport said. – Guardian/Reuters