22 dead by the deadly Elliot storm, it freezes Christmas across much of the United States
At least 22 people were killed across multiple states as a result of winter storm Elliot on Christmas Day, and more than 315 households and businesses lost power across the country.
Elliot’s path through the northern and central parts of the territory resulted in widespread snowfall and extremely low temperatures. Temperatures dropped dramatically from the eastern Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians as a result of the storm, and at least 200 million people, or 60% of the population, were issued weather warnings as a result (NWS).
According to the NWS, “A fast-moving storm is forecast to dip southward across the nation’s windy center, accumulating snow and a wintry mix for the plains and lower Mississippi Valley,”
The Los Angeles Times reports that majority of the people killed by the winter storm were killed after they became stranded in their cars. On Saturday, 2,360 flights, both domestic and international, were cancelled, according to FlightAware. In many areas, this dampened the spirit of Christmas Eve.
The United States of America typically anticipates an arctic front during this time of year. It was a “cyclonic bomb” last Friday, but things changed. Blizzard conditions, with high winds and heavy snow, formed in the Great Lakes as a result of this event.
The city of Buffalo, in upstate New York, took a direct hit from the hurricane-force winds and blizzard that accompanied it. Kathy Hochul, the governor of the jurisdiction, has indicated that the airport will stay closed until Monday and that nearly all of the city’s fire engines have become trapped.
Buffalo residents were compelled to seek warmth anywhere they could because of the freezing temperatures and power outages. You can’t spend more than 10 minutes outside in this city before you freeze to death, locals said.
The National Weather Service reported a temperature of 15 degrees Fahrenheit in Central Park, making it the second coldest December 24 in at least 150 years.
Due to increased demand, electric providers in 13 eastern states urged customers to reduce energy use and lower thermostat settings.
Communities as far apart as Maine and Seattle lost power during the storm, and one of the largest grid operators warned 65 million people in the East that the outage may last for days.