IN PICTURES | Major winter storm kills five in the United States

Five people have lost their lives due to a major winter storm that has swept across the central and eastern United States since Sunday, affecting millions of residents with snow beginning to fall in New York.

The storm, which is moving from the center of the country towards the coastal states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, the capital Washington and southern New York State where the eponymous megalopolis is located, has led to flight cancellations , school closures and road accidents.

More than 50 million people are affected and about 300,000 are without power, while 2,000 flights have been canceled and thousands more delayed, according to Poweroutage.us and FlightAware.

In Washington, a blanket of white covers the streets. In places, up to 30 centimeters of snow are expected, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in its latest bulletin.

400 km to the north, New York City and its large suburbs of Long Island and Westchester, in the extreme south of the rural state of the same name, were starting to see the first flakes, but which should not represent more than three centimeters of snow, according to the NWS for New York.


AFP

Attention is on the federal capital where elected representatives of Congress must certify Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, four years to the day after the violent assault on the Capitol by the Republican’s supporters following his defeat against Joe Biden in November 2020.

Canceled flights

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, had also urged elected officials on Sunday not to “leave town”. The session to certify Donald Trump’s victory is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (6 p.m. GMT) at the Capitol, the temple of American democracy.


AFP

Not far away, the capital’s two main airports, Dulles and Ronald Reagan, have been forced to cancel more than 500 flights since 6 a.m. (11 a.m. GMT).

The central states of Missouri and Kansas reported via local media the deaths of three people on Sunday in accidents linked to the dire conditions.


Getty Images via AFP

Weather services have warned about the amount of snow expected to fall, particularly in the state of Ohio and the Appalachian Mountains, where any travel can be “dangerous” on snowy and icy roads.


AFP

“The snow turned to ice, leading to power outages and more dangerous road conditions. Transportation safety teams are working hard to clear roads for utility and emergency crews to travel,” said East Central Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, urging residents to stay home. them.


Getty Images via AFP

Potential tornadoes

The governors of Missouri, Virginia and Maryland declared a state of emergency, like Kentucky.


Getty Images via AFP

Videos posted by The Weather Channel show vehicles skidding on icy roads and tractor-trailers ending up in roadside barriers in Kansas.

According to the country’s weather services, thunderstorms accompanied by hail and potential tornadoes could hit the southeastern states. These powerful winds could cause property damage and “prolonged power outages,” the NWS warned.

In the center and east of the country, temperatures are expected to drop to -18°C in places with strong gusts of wind.

Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe due to human-caused climate change.

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