Dozens of deaths in the United States

There are at least 27 deaths caused by the winter storm with record temperatures hitting the United States in these hours. The wave of bad weather, with its snow and icy winds, has left devastating consequences in a long list of states: Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, New York, Colorado and Michigan. According to the forecast of the National Weather Service, the situation should improve slightly in the next few hours. However, the call to avoid travel remains: the biggest risks are for motorists who can get stuck and isolated.

Flight cancellations and power outages

In upstate New York in the Buffalo area, temperatures as low as -50 degrees were reported. Thousands of homes have been cordoned off in areas with more than 60cm of snow. Meanwhile, due to the weather emergency, about 3,100 flights have been canceled and another 7,100 have been delayed. In particular, the scheduling of about 300 flights departing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was disrupted. The situation is also less complicated at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Denver International Airport. Electricity companies in many states appealed to save energy: with the cold, demand has actually exploded and the risk is not being able to satisfy it. In Tennessee, it was decided to short power outages to reduce consumption.