Today, US President Joe Biden warned Americans against taking the storm “very seriously” and following the authorities’ recommendations.
“This is actually a severe weather alert. And it goes from Oklahoma to Wyoming, and from Wyoming to Maine. And there are real consequences. I encourage everyone to follow the local warnings,” he said in remarks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
And Biden stressed that this is not an ordinary snow day, but something “dangerous”, explaining that his government is trying to contact the 26 governors of the affected states.
According to the local press, temperatures of up to -50°C were reached in northern Idaho, while some major cities in the country will experience extreme conditions on Friday with -36.6°C in Chicago (Illinois), and -35°C in Minneapolis ( Minnesota) and -29 ° C in Denver (Colorado).
In its latest update today, the NWS predicted an “abnormally large storm” over the weekend, with snow, strong winds and “dangerously low” temperatures.
The weather phenomenon ranges from north of the Great Basin, a watershed that includes Nevada and parts of Utah, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming, to the northern Midwest, the Great Lakes, and the central and central Appalachian mountain range north.
The NWS said there will be a “dangerous, unprecedented cold air mass” from the Arctic Front hitting the Ohio and Tennessee valleys tonight.
According to the Flightaware website, there have been a total of 1,724 flight cancellations in the United States.
The airports most affected are O’Hare, Chicago Midway (Chicago) and Denver.
Airlines have warned that snow, icy winds and low temperatures may affect travel from Seattle (Washington) to Boston (Massachusetts) or South Carolina.
William Shakespeare is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, history, and current affairs. With a keen eye for storytelling and analysis, he produces informative articles that help readers understand the people, ideas, and events influencing modern life.
