At least five people killed on treacherous roads as ‘snowpocalypse’ batters United States
At least five people have been killed as a treacherous ‘once-in-a-generation’ winter system pummels central and eastern parts of the United States – with at least six governors calling for a state of emergency.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and issued a traffic ban on part of Interstate 90 beginning on Friday at 6 am due to the incoming storm’s expected brutality.
She joins at least five other states, ahead of the frigid, powerful snowstorm moving across the U.S. through Friday, and expected to hit multiple states with heavy snow, damaging winds, freezing rain and dangerous bitter cold.
Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina have all issued the emergency orders that, in part, activate their emergency response and operations plans.
A woman crosses the street as she braves the freezing weather ahead of the Christmas Holiday, in Chicago
A person wrapped in a blanket walks on a sidewalk as snow begins to fall Thursday in St Louis in Missouri. Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina have all issued state of emergency orders
At least five people have been killed, as a treacherous ‘once-in-a-generation’ winter system pummels central and eastern parts of the United States, with at least six governors calling for a state of emergency
United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday, that the incoming weather system ‘is not like any other snow day when you were a kid.’
‘This is not like a snow day when you were a kid. This is serious stuff, I encourage everyone, everyone, please heed the local warnings. Take this storm extremely seriously,’ Biden said.
Biden added that he has been in touch with 26 governors, some of whom had already declared states of emergency ahead of the storm.
The five fatalities, caused by separate motor vehicle accidents, were recorded in Oklahoma as the storm started to coat roads with snow and ice, authorities said.
Lieutenant Candice Breshears, of the Kansas Highway Patrol, said in a press conference on Thursday that three people were killed in multiple crashes overnight.
In one of the collisions, authorities said, a vehicle driven by 16-year-old Sawyer Lysell-Alkire was traveling south on Interstate 135 in Saline County shortly after 9 pm when it veered off the highway and overturned into a ditch.
A passenger in the vehicle, Grant L. Lysell-Alkire, 21, of Lindsborg, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver suffered minor injuries.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it responded to two fatal crashes Thursday in the state, one on the Turner Turnpike near Luther and a three-vehicle crash that occurred in Paden in central Oklahoma.
Rows of headstones at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery are blanketed by drifting snow
A homeless man receives bottles of propane to use with his portable heater as cold and snowy weather moves into Chicago
Bus riders wait at a sheltered stop in Chicago’s famed Loop as snow falls and a public service message reminds riders of the winter storm in Chicago
A man stands outside of his tent during a period of cold weather in Denver, Colorado
People stay warm with a fire during a period of cold weather in downtown, Denver, Colorado
Snow covers much of Central Park after Winter Storm Elliott passes through Omaha, Nebraska
A city maintenance vehicle pauses outside the CHI Health Center after Winter Storm Elliott passed through Omaha, Nebraska
Thousands of power outages have been reported across the United States as the winter storm continues to impact the country.
Texas led the country in power outages, with over 39,000 customers without power as of 4.40 pm CST.
Counties most affected by outages in the state include Upshur, Wood, Madison and Ellis, according to PowerOutage.us.
Arkansas surpassed 6,500 customers without power on Thursday and in the north, over 5,000 customers were in the dark in Oklahoma and another 5,000 were without power in Kansas.
A hard freeze warning went into effect at 6 pm Thursday evening for the Dallas area.
‘We want to make sure that everybody across the entire state of Texas hears directly from the head of the Public Utilities Commission, as well as the head of ERCOT, to know exactly the way that both the PUC and ERCOT are prepared to make sure that the power grid will remain up and running very robustly during this very cold snap,’ Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a press conference on Wednesday.
A tree fell on top of a home in Portland because of strong winds ahead of a winter storm
A resident of the home sustained minor injuries after the tree fell on the home leaving the roof caved in
Pictures of the enormous tree show that it created major damage to the Portland property where it fell
A local resident shovels snow off the end of a driveway, Thursday, in Urbandale, Iowa
The Twin Cities saw 8 inches of snow Wednesday followed by wind gusts up to 50mph and windchills reaching -35 degrees F on Thursday
A truck is filled with road salt as snow begins to fall in Milwaukee on Thursday
A person can be seen battling snow conditions in St Louis as frigid conditions are set to through central United States to the east
Semitrucks line up in the eastbound land on I-70, which was closed due to extreme winter driving conditons, in Silverthorne, Colorado
Vehicles line up on Highway 9 in Silverthorne, Colorado due to the closure of the eastbound lane of I-70 because of extreme winter driving conditions
A young man waiting for a Chicago Transit Authority train in Chicago’s famed Loop stands in a warming station as others walk on the sidewalk Thursday
Pedestrians waiting for a Chicago Transit Authority train in Chicago’s famed Loop stand in a warming station as they brave the cold weather
In Wyoming, they have already begun experiencing complete white-out conditions and extreme straight-line winds.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol posted videos showing the conditions in Cheyenne, as it encouraged residents to ‘please stay home.’
The trooper’s car can be seen rattling as snow is whipping across the hood of his car in a tornado-like effect. The only thing visible in the commotion is the car’s headlights.
‘Current view from a Trooper’s car in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Current conditions outside of Cheyenne are -18 with zero visibility,’ the Wyoming Highway Patrol wrote in a Facebook post.
In another video, an emergency vehicle can be seen with its lights on as snow is whipped across the roadways. The pavement is barely visible.
‘Nope, the Trooper didn’t make a wrong turn and end up in Antarctica,’ it joked.
One Minnesota traveler got festive in a Santa hat as he traveled through the airport with his children
Of the nearly 9,000 delays as of Thursday around 5pm, Denver International rang in number one at 254 flights. Chicago O’Hare (pictured) came in second with 221 and Chicago Midway came in third with 23
All three also rang in at the top of the cancelation board with Denver International postponing 299 flights, Chicago O’Hare (pictured) with 288, and Chicago Midway 138
Travelers across the Midwest are expected to endure a ‘snowpocalypse,’ with some areas getting up to 24 inches of snow
Plenty of travelers waited in line at Terminal 1 in the MSP Airport in Minnesota ahead of their holiday travels
It also revealed that Troopers had responded to more than 780 calls for service, including nearly 200 motorists who needed assistance and more than 100 car collisions.
As emergency services warn of dangerous conditions, families hoping to loved one’s to come home over Christmas may be left disappointed as nearly 9,000 flights have been delayed or canceled on the busiest travel day of the year.
As the US braces for the once-in-a-generation storm that is set to impact nearly every state and guarantee a white Christmas in the Midwest snow had already begun to fall across the Midwest on Wednesday evening.
The weather service said that it is likely to intensify throughout Thursday and Friday, with temperatures dropping 40 degrees in Wyoming in just a half an hour.
Those hoping to catch flights home for the holidays could be facing another nightmare, much like the summertime travel season, with plenty of flights already cancelled.
On Thursday total delays within, into, or out of the United States was 10,053, while cancelations were 2,545.
An Air Canada plane is seen covered in snow at the Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia a few days before the storm is suppose to sweep through Canada as well
An American Airlines plane is de-iced as high winds whip around 7.5 inches of new snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday
A man braces the cold to shovel a sidewalk outside a local business in Wisconsin
The Capitol Building in Iowa is barely visible as heavy snow falls on Wednesday evening
A man clears his driveway of snow from an overnight storm in Provo, Utah on Dec 13. A cross-country storm is expected to unleash blizzard conditions in the coming days
All three also rang in at the top of the cancelation board with Denver International postponing 299 flights, Chicago O’Hare with 288, and Chicago Midway 138, according to Flight Aware.
Winter Storm Elliot has intensified to be classified as a ‘bomb cyclone,’ which can bring blizzard-like conditions through the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes area. The East and South can also expect a possible flash freeze due to high winds, according to the Weather Channel.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and the Great Lakes – with Buffalo, Des Moines, and Grand Rapids having the highest chances of experiencing these conditions.
Winter storm warnings and weather advisories are in effect for the Northern Plains to the mid-South, with Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, and Memphis being located in concerning areas.
The Weather Channel advised residents in those areas avoid travel at all cost as it could be ‘difficult or impossible.’
This could be the coldest Christmas weekend in decades as many US states are falling in the 15 degree range, with the Great Plains getting as cold as -30F
Denver has also already gotten some snow, and visibility has begun to lessen
A farm is covered in snow in Minnesota on Thursday after a night of snowfall
Near white-out conditions were seen last night in Cheyenne, Wyoming as high winds and snow decreased visibility
An ambulance was seen assisting a semi-truck that slid off the road diagonally, causing a tail back in Des Moines
Rain is expected to hit the East Coast starting on Thursday, which could turn into freezing rain or sleet throughout the Northeast.
Rain is also expected along the Interstate 95 corridor throughout Thursday.
Northeastern Illinois is under a winter storm warning from noon today until 6am Saturday, with the expectation the area will get three to six inches of snow, but could reach up to one inch per hour.
With wind gusts up to 50mph and wind chills as low as 25 to 35 below zero tonight through Friday night, Chicago and the surrounding areas can expect whiteout conditions and roads will become icy overnight.
On Friday, the storm will reach its peak in the Great Lakes from Northern Wisconsin to Western New York.
The Northeast can expect a bitter cold after the rain passes through and turns to ice. Georgia and the Carolinas are expected to have high winds throughout Friday.
By the end of the Friday, Erie, Pennsylvania, could get up to 18 inches of snow, while Buffalo can expect 12 inches. Cleveland is expected to get up to five inches of snow, while Boston and DC are getting one to five inches of rain.
By Saturday, the storm will move north, but strong winds are still expected to last.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11566497/3k-flights-cancelled-delayed-snowpocalypse-hits-generation-storm.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 At least five people killed on treacherous roads as ‘snowpocalypse’ batters United States