millions of people threatened by blizzard

A dangerous winter storm hit the central United States on Sunday, January 5, 2025, where millions of people are threatened by blizzard conditions.

More than 60 million people are in the path of the stormwhich will sweep the United States from the center to the east with arctic air until Monday and cause significant travel disruptions.

Ice, snow and strong winds

The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of the risk of ice, snow and strong winds from western Kansas to the coastal states of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, over a strip of territory 2,400 kilometers wide .

A state of emergency was declared in Virginia, Missouri and Kentucky and the governors of these states called on social media for residents to stay at home.

Roads can become dangerous, with the NWS specifying to expect “destructive frost and freezing rain” in its latest bulletin.

The agency warned that some areas would experience their “heaviest snowfall in a decade.”

The first major storm of 2025 has already caused the temporary closure of Kansas City International Airport on Saturday, “due to rapid ice accumulation.”
Flights then resumed after runway thawing operations, said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

American Airlines issued an alert to its customers for 46 airports across the country affected by the storm.

Up to -18°C

Some locations in the eastern states of New York and Pennsylvania will experience heavy snow from the Great Lakes, which could total 61 centimetersaccording to the NWS.

A blizzard was expected across the Central Plains on Sunday, making travel “extremely dangerous, with impassable roads and a high risk for motorists of becoming stranded,” the NWS predicted.

The United States capital, Washington, could be covered in 12 centimeters of snow, with up to 25 cm in surrounding areas.

Risk of power outage

Temperatures are expected to plunge, in some places, to -18°C, with strong gusts of wind worsening the situation.

The possibility of freezing rain also worries authorities, due to its potential impact on roads and the power grid. A large power outage would have devastating effects for residents who would be without heat in the middle of a winter storm.

The Appalachian massif, already hit by a cataclysmic hurricane at the end of September, is particularly at risk.

Severe thunderstorms are also expected in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Source: AFP

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