US Weather: 140,000 are without power as a winter storm spreads from Colorado to New England
“It’s a good weekend to stay indoors,” says New Jersey’s governor, as heavy snow and freezing rain threaten more than half of the US population.
A massive winter storm spanning from the southern Rocky Mountains in the west to New England on the northeast coast has knocked out electricity to approximately 140,000 households in the United States.
The National Weather Service has warned that heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain will threaten almost 180 million people, or more than half of the country. 37 states are affected.
“The snow and ice will be very, very slow to melt and will not go away anytime soon,” meteorologist Allison Santorelli predicted.
According to Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this storm is “unique” for two reasons: its broad spread, which will encompass 2,000 miles of the country, and the intense cold it is expected to leave behind.
More than 13,000 flights were cancelled across the country on Saturday and Sunday, according to FlightAware, the flight tracking website.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, Sunday’s cancellations are already the highest on any single day since the COVID outbreak began.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has declared emergencies in 17 states and the District of Columbia, advising residents to stay at home if possible.
Governor Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey said she expected conditions “like we haven’t seen in years.”
She announced a 35-mph speed limit on highways and said, “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.
According to Poweroutage, over 140,000 power outages were reported in the route of the winter storm, including more than 58,000 in Louisiana and around 50,000 in Texas. us.
In DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, there have been reports of automobiles colliding with fallen trees and branches falling on houses.
In Georgia, senior state meteorologist Will Lanxton stated that it was “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade.”