Winter frost kills dozens in the United States
Bournemouth

Winter frost kills dozens in the United States

By Judy J. Beasley

At least 49 people have died in the United States – 28 in New York state alone – in blizzard conditions.

Buffalo residents search for cars buried in snowdrifts and search for other victims after one of the worst weather disasters ever to hit the western part of the US state.

Another 9 inches of snow could fall in parts of western New York through Tuesday, the US National Weather Service said.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the blizzard “probably the worst storm of our lifetimes” – even for an area used to punishing snowfall.

And he warned: “It’s not the end yet.”

Some people, he noted, had been stuck in their cars for more than two days.

US President Joe Biden said his prayers go out to the families of the victims and offered federal aid to the hard-hit state on Monday.

Buffalo’s Elmwood Village neighborhood was one of the communities hardest hit by the blizzard (AP)

Those who lost their lives around Buffalo were found in cars, homes and snowbanks. Some died while shoveling snow, while others perished when emergency crews were unable to respond to medical crises in time.

Scientists say climate change may have contributed to the intensity of the storm.

According to Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, this is because the atmosphere can carry more water vapor, which acts as fuel.

The blizzard blew through western New York on Friday and Saturday. With many stores in the Buffalo area closed and driving bans in place, some people have pleaded on social media for donations of basic supplies such as food and diapers.

Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the US National Weather Service, said relief would arrive later this week, with temperatures forecast to slowly rise.

Mr Cook said the bomb cyclone effect – when air pressure drops very quickly during a strong storm – has weakened. It developed near the Great Lakes, causing blizzard conditions including high winds and snow.

Some 3,410 domestic and international flights were canceled in America around 3:00 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) on Monday, according to tracking site FlightAware.

The site said Southwest Airlines had 2,497 cancellations – around 60% of its scheduled flights and about 10 times more than any other major US carrier.

Southwest said the weather was improving, which would “stabilize and improve our situation.”

According to data from FlightAware, airports across the United States were suffering from cancellations and delays, including Denver, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Seattle, Baltimore and Chicago.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited the aftermath in Buffalo – her hometown – on Monday, calling the blizzard “one for the ages”.

She said nearly every fire truck in the city was grounded on Saturday.

Ms Hochul noted that the storm came just over a month after the region was inundated by another “historic” snowfall. Between the two storms, snowfall totals are not far off the 95.4 the region normally sees over an entire winter season.

The storm also knocked out power in communities from Maine to Seattle.

Storm-related deaths have been reported across the country, including at least eight from crashes in Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky. A woman also died after falling through ice in the Wisconsin River as a fatal fire broke out at a homeless camp in Kansas.

In Jackson, Mississippi, crews struggled to get water through the city’s beleaguered water system, meaning many areas had no water or low water pressure. water.

On Christmas Day, residents were told to boil their drinking water due to water pipes bursting due to freezing temperatures.

Judy J. Beasley
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