Memphis residents are being urged to boil water and New Yorkers have been warned that roads could be covered in dangerous black ice this weekend as cold and inclement weather continues to sweep across parts of the US.
Bitterly cold air spilled into the Midwest from Canada on Friday and several states were under advisories as forecasters warned that wind chills down to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit could be common through Sunday morning.
Heavier-than-forecast snow fell in New York City, Baltimore and Washington, DC, on Friday.
Storms have lashed the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South and Northeast with low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms, freezing rain and strong winds over the past two weeks.
With wind chills, temperatures are expected to drop as low as 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in much of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Kansas, the National Weather Service predicted.
The bracing weekend weather followed a series of storms blamed for at least 55 deaths across the country, most involving hypothermia or road accidents.
The Brooklyn Bridge is seen blurred in the background as snow falls around New York City on January 19, 2024. William Volcov/Shutterstock A trail in the White Mountains in New Hampshire is covered in snow, near where hikers died in brutal, single-digit temperatures this week. AP
Tennessee recorded only 19 deaths. They include a 25-year-old man who was found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg after a space heater flipped over and shut off, said Bob Johnson, chief deputy for the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
“There’s ice on the wall there,” Johnson said.
Cold days broke many water mains in Memphis, Tennessee, causing water pressure to drop across the city.
On Friday, Memphis Light, Gas & Water urged all of its more than 400,000 residents to boil water for drinking or brushing their teeth or to use bottled supplies.
It is unclear how long the advisory will be in effect. While about 50 cracks have been repaired, utility President Doug McGowen warned of new leaks emerging.
New York City, including Central Park, received more snow than forecast on Friday. ZUMAPRESS.com
A sharp drop in blood donations, partly attributed to the weather, led Blood Assurance to recommend that more than 70 hospitals in five states halt elective surgeries until Wednesday to allow inventories to be rebuilt by the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based organization.
In West Virginia, advisories and warnings were issued Saturday as severe weather continued. The weather service said some regions could see up to 4 inches of additional snow with winds up to 40 mph and wind chills dropping temperatures as low as 20 below zero.
The West Virginia Legislature adjourned after a brief session Friday because not enough lawmakers could make it through the snow-covered highway to the Capitol to vote on the bill.
Snow covers a residential area in Brooklyn, NY on January 19, 2024. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
In Washington DC, the snow is falling gently and the streets around the US Capitol are quiet. Schools were closed for the second time in a week and the federal government was suspended for two hours.
However, President Joe Biden still welcomes mayors from around the country to the White House for the US Conference of Mayors.
In Buffalo, New York, the lake-enhanced snow finally moved away after burying parts of the city and several suburbs in five feet of snow over five days.
The Buffalo Bills on Friday renewed a call for snow shovels, offering $20 an hour for help digging out Highmark Stadium before Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A Buffalo Bills fan sits in the snow during the 2024 AFC wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Michigan City, Indiana, received 17 inches of lake effect snow on Friday. The snow later eased as a low-pressure system moved through but the weather service warned that “colder air is closing in behind it,” and urged motorists to watch out for slippery and dangerous patches of black ice.
On the West Coast, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek on Thursday declared a statewide emergency following the deadly ice storm.
The weather service reported that temperatures on Friday were finally above freezing for much of the area and snow and ground ice slowly began to melt.
More freezing rain is forecast Saturday in the Columbia River Gorge and the area is expected to remain near or below freezing through at least Sunday night. Trees and power lines already coated in ice could topple if it gets more, the National Weather Service warned.
“Stay safe out there over the next few days as our region tries to thaw,” the weather service said. “Falling chunks of ice will still be a hazard as well.”
Friends play soccer in the snow at Baker Park on January 19, 2024, in Frederick, Maryland. AP
Thousands have been without power since last weekend in parts of Oregon’s Willamette Valley due to storm damage.
Despite the work of repair crews, more than 63,000 customers were without power in the state as of Friday night, according to the website poweroutage.us.
The National Weather Service says a thaw is possible next week, when the forecast calls for above-average temperatures across much of the country.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
