Millions Enduring an Arctic Christmas

Millions of people across the United States woke up on Christmas morning Sunday to unprecedented freezing temperatures after a gigantic winter storm hit the country with heavy snowfall and dangerous cold in recent days.

The storm claimed at least 24 lives, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, and canceled thousands of flights.

About 60% of the United States had received a winter weather advisory or warning from the system, which has been called a “once-in-a-generation” storm by forecasters and stretches from the Great Lakes near the Canada at the Rio Grande at the Mexican border. .

More than 1,500 domestic and international flights were canceled as of Sunday morning, according to tracking site FlightAware.

Buffalo endured brutal conditions with hurricane-force winds and snow that triggered whiteouts and crippled emergency response efforts. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said nearly all of the city’s fire trucks were grounded.

The National Weather Service said the snow total at Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches as of 7 a.m. Sunday. At least seven people have died in the area, some in their homes when responders could not reach them, officials said.

In Ohio, about 50 vehicles were involved in a pile-up that killed at least four. An 82-year-old woman was found dead Friday outside her Michigan assisted care facility.

GLOBAL WARMING:Tempted to joke about global warming in the middle of the freezing cold? Here’s what the experts are saying about it.

The system intensified on Friday in a bomb cyclonea weather phenomenon known for strong winds, heavy snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures that are created by a process known as bombogenesis.

Only a few areas of the United States were expected to escape the freezing cold on Christmas Day – parts of California, Oregon, Arizona and Florida are among the few places in the country that will not experience wind chill below freezing, predicts the weather service.

The family braves the storm to seek shelter

Ditjak Ilunga, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was traveling with his daughters to visit family in Hamilton, Ont., on Friday. The family’s SUV got stuck in Buffalo, and they spent hours in the car nearly buried in snow as the wind blew outside.

At 4 a.m. Saturday, the family decided to try to reach a nearby shelter. Ilunga carried her 6-year-old daughter on her back, while her 16-year-old daughter carried their Pomeranian puppy. Ilunga said he cried when they finally arrived at the shelter.

“If I stay in this car, I’m going to die here with my kids,” he told the Associated Press he was thinking of at the time. “It’s something I will never forget in my life.”

Water pressure fluctuates in Jackson, Mississippi in freezing weather

The water system in Jackson, Mississippi experienced pressure fluctuations in freezing temperatures on Saturday, officials said.

Some neighborhoods in the city of Mississippi reported low water pressure, and some residents said they had no water pressure on Christmas Eve. Officials said they believe the drop in pressure was caused by leaks and burst water pipes.

City spokeswoman Melissa Payne said the freezing temperatures were contributing to the breaks.

The disruption comes after the city lost water in late August and tens of thousands of residents were without running water during the 2021 cold spell.

Migrants bused to vice president’s residence on freezing Christmas Eve

A group of migrants were dropped off at the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, DC on Saturday night as temperatures dropped below freezing.

Migrants were taken to local churches and shelters, according to several reports. Some of the migrants were seen by reporters without winter clothes, some of whom were wearing T-shirts on the freezing Christmas Eve.

The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, which has been helping welcome migrants to the nation’s capital since the spring, said it was ready for Saturday’s arrivals, CNN reported.

It was not immediately clear how many migrants had been brought to the vice president’s home, although several outlets reported that it was several buses full of individuals.

The move is not the first time a group of migrants have been transported to cities across the United States. Several Republican governors have orchestrated the rides.Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent two busloads of asylum seekers from Central and South America to the vice president’s residence in Washington earlier this year.

USA TODAY has contacted the White House for more information.

Blizzard continues in the Great Lakes, Buffalo hard hit

forecasters said saturday Snow would continue to fall around the Great Lakes – up to 3 feet more through Monday in parts of western New York.

High winds, freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have plagued the area for days, resulting in whiteout conditions.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the snowstorm that hit the western part of the state as “one of the worst in history” during a Saturday morning press briefing.

A combination of snow, freezing cold and power outages prompted some Buffalo residents to leave their homes for warmth. Hochul said Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be closed until Monday morning.

When will the winter storm be over?

Widespread cold temperatures are expected to persist for days in many areas.

Forecasters expect a huge mass of cold air to continue to affect the country next week. These temperatures are a concern from Dakotas to Florida, even on Monday and Tuesday.

“Wind chills will still bottom in the 20s and low 30s Monday and Tuesday morning for most southern locations outside of South Florida,” a Friday forecast said.