Category Archives: US weather

Human toll of deadly US storm grows in ‘blizzard of the century’

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Heartbreaking stories pour in about people missing a heart transplant or dying inside a car

One man never came home from a grocery run. Another man missed a chance at a new heart. A woman died after getting trapped in her car.

The human toll that the winter blast which gripped much of the US last week has continued to mount. Since the “blizzard of the century” swept through multiple parts of the nation last week, at least 60 people have died countrywide, and details about the heartbreak their families are enduring have been trickling out.

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National guard check door-to-door in Buffalo after storm that killed 34

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Officials fear more fatalities may be found after high winds and record snowfalls ravage western New York

Members of the US national guard went door-to-door in some neighborhoods of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday to check on residents who lost power during a winter storm earlier this week that killed nearly three dozen residents of the region.

As the national guard made their way from house to house, members were confronted with the bleak possibility of encountering still more victims in frigid homes and piles of melting snow, according to the Associated Press.

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‘Atmospheric river’ pummels California with heavy rain and snow

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While rest of US digs out from arctic blast, the Golden State sees welcome showers to mitigate dry days in coming new year

A major storm known as an “atmospheric river” is pummeling California with heavy rain and high winds, continuing a streak of weather whiplash that has jolted the state from unseasonal heat to downpours in a matter of days.

The storm, spawned by a low pressure system off the Pacific north-west, delivered deluges across the San Francisco Bay Area as it made landfall on Monday night, prompting the National Weather Service to issue flood advisories and watches through large parts of central and northern California. The storm is forecast to soak the southern part of the state by Tuesday evening, although it will soften as it moves down the coast. Forecasters said California will experience unsettled weather through the week.

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‘Unacceptable’: Southwest flight chaos and cancellations lead to US inquiry

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The airline cancelled about 8,000 flights, stranding customers and leading to hours-long queues to speak with overworked staff

The US Department of Transportation will examine thousands of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines over the holiday weekend, a massive disruption which left thousands of holiday travelers grounded, even in areas of the country not suffering from winter storms.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Joe Biden said: “Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. Our administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable.”

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New York winter storm death toll at 34 with more snow on the way

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Erie county executive says ‘this is not the end yet’ as forecasters say 9in more snow could fall through Tuesday

As Buffalo, New York, reeled from a historic winter storm that left at least 34 dead, first responders charged with the grim task of looking for more victims battled snow drifts and sub-freezing temperatures.

“We’ve had so many bodies that various hospitals are full and we’re just having to go through and determine if the individuals have died from a blizzard-related death,” Mark Poloncarz, executive of Erie county, told CNN.

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Stories of survival and rescue emerge from ‘war with mother nature’ in Buffalo

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Amid a deadly winter storm, heart-warming tales spring forth of neighbors assisting stranded tourists and helping deliver babies

As the US reels from a winter storm that has killed nearly 50 people nationwide, stories of hope and resilience have nonetheless emerged from America’s hardest hit region, western New York state.

This storm, which has resulted in 27 deaths around the city of Buffalo, brought hurricane-force winds and nearly four feet of snow in parts of the region, thwarting first responders’ emergency response and rescue efforts. “This is a war with mother nature, and she has been hitting us with everything she has,” New York’s governor Kathy Hochul said.

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At least 48 people dead in US winter storm as freezing conditions to continue

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Buffalo and surrounding area in western New York hit especially hard as power knocked out and many travelers stranded

Freezing conditions from a deadly winter storm in the United States will continue into the week as western New York deals with massive snowdrifts that have snarled emergency vehicles, and travelers across the country see cancelled flights and dangerous roads.

The storm has killed at least 48 people and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

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‘Life-threatening hazard’: 28 dead in Arctic storm battering US

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Officials warn the number of deaths might rise, while a quarter of a million people in the US have no electricity

The monstrous Arctic storm that has gripped most of the continental US over the Christmas holiday continued to batter the northern city of Buffalo, New York, on Sunday, as freezing temperatures trailing across the nation created what forecasters called a “potentially life-threatening hazard”.

Twenty-eight deaths attributed to the weather have been recorded across the nation, with officials warning that the number of fatalities would probably rise as “the Arctic air enveloping much of the eastern two-thirds of the US would be slow to moderate”.

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Huge ‘bomb cyclone’ storm hits US with life-threatening cold as holidays begin

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More than 60% of US faces winter weather warnings, with temperatures drastically below normal in many places

A wild winter storm enveloped much of the US on Saturday, bringing blizzards, freezing rain, flooding and intense cold close to record lows. More than a dozen deaths were attributed to the storm. Holiday travel and utilities were disrupted, with around 1.4 million homes and businesses left without power by late afternoon.

Forecasters said the storm, a “bomb cyclone” or “bombogenesis”, was caused by a collision of cold, dry air from the north and warm, moist air from the south.

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Power cuts and travel misery in US and Canada amid freezing winter storm

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More than a million people in darkness and thousands of flights cancelled amid lows with wind chill of -55F (-48C)

More than a million people in the US are in the dark after a “bomb cyclone” winter storm struck the country, closing highways, grounding flights and causing misery for Christmas travellers.

Heavy snow, howling winds and air so frigid it instantly turned boiling water into ice took hold of much of the country, including normally temperate southern states.

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Heavy snow and frigid winds leaves millions without power across the US – as it happened

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Over 10,000 flights across the US have been impacted by the winter storm as of Friday afternoon.

According to FlightAware.com, as of 3pm ET, there have been a total of 6,238 delays within, into, or out of the US today.

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Potential bomb cyclone is ‘serious stuff’, Biden warns as Arctic blast looms

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Thousands of flights cancelled as officials warn of ‘major and anomalous storm system’ bringing snow and life-threatening wind chill

Thousands of flights have been cancelled after US forecasters warned on Thursday of “potentially crippling impacts across central and eastern” parts of the country, producing widespread disruption to travel and utilities over the holiday season, as an arctic blast surged from west to east.

At the White House, after a briefing on the potential “bomb cyclone”, Joe Biden said: “This is not like a snow day when you were a kid. This is serious stuff.”

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Texans brace for freezing weather in hopes storm won’t be repeat of 2021

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Experts say temperatures won’t get as cold as 2021 storm, with expected minimum around 10F

Nervous Texans are preparing for a freezing blast of Arctic air on Thursday but it is not predicted to be a repeat of the disastrous winter storm that struck the state in 2021, crippling large parts of the state’s power infrastructure and killing scores of people.

Residents have been warned to brace for extremely cold weather and to stock up on essentials like bottled water and non-perishable foods in case of power outages and food supply chain issues like those experienced during winter storm Uri in February 2021, when millions of Texans were left without power and 246 people died.

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‘Bomb cyclone’ storm could bring deadly winter weather to US

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An estimated 50 million Americans also under windchill alerts as ‘once-in-a-generation-event’ could impact holiday travel

Severe winter weather is set to affect millions across the US this week, as freezing temperatures and strong storms threaten to wreak havoc on holiday travel plans.

A burst of arctic air settling over several states this week is forecast to drop temperatures to dangerous – and potentially deadly – levels just as more than 110 million Americans are expected to set out for their celebrations.

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Weather tracker: temperatures set to plunge across US states

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Arctic airmass heading south, reaching Texas and even Florida, with some areas facing temperatures of up to 45 degrees below normal

While the UK is getting less cold this week in the run-up to Christmas, temperatures in the lower 48 states of the US will be taking a plunge. Over the course of the weekend, an Arctic airmass that was sitting over northern Canada, characterised by extremely low temperatures and strong high pressure, slid to the south across Alberta and Saskatchewan into eastern states of the Pacific north-west. Temperatures across these regions averaged about -23C at around midday on Sunday.

Through the week, this airmass will slowly spread southward across central states, with temperatures ranging from 10-30 degrees below average. Later in the week, the airmass will extend to the south, reaching Texas and even Florida, with some areas possibly reaching up to 45 degrees below normal. This cold airmass is likely to interact with an area of low pressure across the eastern half of the country towards the end of the week, threatening significant snowfall in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.

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Major winter storm expected to hit much of US before Christmas

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Heavy snow, powerful winds, and bitterly cold temperatures will potentially snarl holiday travel

A major winter storm system is expected to strike much of the US days before Christmas, potentially snarling holiday travel as motorists and air travelers contend with heavy snow, powerful winds, and bitterly cold temperatures across several regions.

This sprawling storm system coincides with the arrival of an Arctic air mass that will consume much of the country “this upcoming week”, according to the National Weather Service. Between Tuesday and Saturday, temperature highs are expected to average from 10 to 35F below normal from the north-west to the eastern two-thirds of the US.

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US National Weather Services warns of ‘widespread’ winter storm hazards

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More than 15 million people under winter advisory while several areas in midwest and Great Plains face intense snowstorms

More than 15 million people are under a winter advisory as of Tuesday, as several areas in the midwest and Great Plains face intense snowstorms, Axios reported.

Storm warnings are in effect across a dozen states, including parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana and South Dakota.

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Dangerous, lake-effect snowstorm freezes western and northern New York

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Lake-effect snow, caused by frigid air picking up moisture from warmer lakes, prompts driving ban and state of emergency

A dangerous lake-effect snowstorm has paralyzed parts of western and northern New York state, with more than 1ft of snow already on the ground on Friday morning in places and a driving ban keeping people off the roads in the Buffalo area.

The worst snowfall was expected in Buffalo, where the National Weather Service said up to 4ft might fall in some spots through Sunday, with periods of near-zero visibility.

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Weather tracker: unusual cold and snow spreading across North America

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Temperatures in Canada dropped by as much as 20C below normal this week

Significant cold is spreading widely across North America this weekend, having already affected northern and western parts so far this week.

During the night of 9 November, temperatures across central and western provinces of Canada, as well as many western states of the US, plummeted to at least 10C (18F) below normal, with some parts of Canada seeing temperatures as low as 20C (36F) below normal.

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Hurricane Nicole brings rain and wind to Florida then weakens to tropical storm

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Storm is forecast to head into Georgia and the Carolinas later Thursday and Friday, dumping heavy rain across the region

A weakening Tropical Storm Nicole doused large areas of Florida with heavy rain on Thursday, after battering the east coast overnight as a rare November hurricane.

The late-season cyclone made landfall close to Vero Beach at about 3am, delivering 75mph winds and a damaging storm surge that collapsed buildings and swept away roads as far north as Daytona Beach.

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