CHICAGO: A monster U.S. winter storm pounded the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Thursday, killing a firefighter, knocking out power to more than 900,000 people and canceling or delaying thousands of flights.
A broad swath of the northern United States from Washington state to New England remained under winter weather advisories with another 18 inches (46 cm) of snow, winds up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) and wind chills equivalent to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) possible throughout the day, the National Weather Service said.
A volunteer firefighter was killed in suburban Grand Rapids, Michigan, after coming in contact with a live power line knocked downed by ice, local officials said on Twitter.
Some 900,000 homes and businesses were left without power in
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin on Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
More than 2,000 flights were canceled and another 15,000 delayed due to the heavy weather, according to flight-tracking website Flightware.com. Many roads were left impassable or treacherous to drivers.
"Travel on the roads can be dangerous with just a trace of ice. But we're seeing ice caking from a quarter to half inch (6 mm to 1.3 cm)," said Richard Bann, of the weather service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. "That can be practically impossible."
Snow fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) an hour in Minneapolis, home to about 2.9 million people. New accumulations added to the 8 inches of snow already dumped by the storm.
Video footage and photographs on social media showed cars stuck on roadways, while streets and walkways were covered in drifting snow.
"Big-time flakes coming down here," storm chaser Aaron Jayjack said in a video he posted on Twitter from Minneapolis. "This is the final push of the storm, and in fact appears to be heaviest snowfall yet."
The Minneapolis school system was holding classes remotely for more than 29,000 pupils for the rest of the week. Dozens of school districts also canceled classes in North and South Dakota, Colorado, Michigan and Wyoming
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan, almost 20,000 homes and businesses lost power. Nathan Pietryga, manager of the long-standing college hangout Pizza Bob's, counted himself one of the lucky ones.
"I made it to work, a little shuffling on the ice," he said.
Classes weren't canceled, but students were advised to use discretion. Pietryga indicated he expected to sell some pizza. "We've been here forever, the kids will come in," he said.
A separate storm spawned unusual weather in California, where much of the state was under high wind and winter storm warnings.
Rare snow flurries were reported in San Francisco while blizzard conditions were expected in high elevations, even in the typically balmy Los Angeles area. By Saturday, up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snow could accumulate on Mount Baldy, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains.
At the same time, parts of the Ohio Valley and the South could see near record-breaking high temperatures, beginning Thursday and lingering into the weekend. Weather forecasters predicted temperatures to hit 88 F (31 C) in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday.
Reuters
Fri Feb 24 2023
A view shows a snow-covered road, in Boulder, Colorado, U.S., February 23, 2023, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. - Dr. Angelica Kalika/via REUTERS
Jurutera Keizrul Abdullah sifatkan pembinaan Terowong Smart ‘hadiah’ terbesar buat negara
Pengerusi Wetlands International Malaysia sifatkan sumbangan idea dalam pembinaan projek Terowong SMART, sebagai 'hadiah' terbesar beliau buat negara.
Mangsa banjir Perak meningkat, tiga PPS baharu dibuka
Mereka ditempatkan di dua pusat pemindahan sementara - satu di Kerian dan dua di Larut Matang Selama.
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi minta IPT buat persediaan hadapi banjir
Beliau yakin IPT di kawasan sering terjejas banjir seperti di pantai timur mempunyai keupayaan terbaik untuk berbuat demikian.
Lebih 16,000 anggota JBPM dalam mod siap siaga hadapi banjir lebih awal
Perbezaan pada trend taburan hujan lebat tahun ini menyebabkan bomba terpaksa meletakkan semua anggota dalam mod berjaga-jaga lebih awal.
Shamsul Iskandar dakwa kesepakatan parti dalam PN kian longgar
Shamsul Iskandar berkata, perpecahan dalaman PN itu dapat diukur melalui prestasi mereka pada PRK DUN Nenggiri dan DUN Mahkota.
Suruhanjaya Eropah saman Hungary atas dakwaan pelanggaran hak asasi
Budapest gagal hilangkan kebimbangan mengenai undang-undang baharu Hungary yang bertujuan mengehadkan pembiayaan asing bagi kempen politik.
PM Pakistan gembira atas perbincangan produktif dengan PM Malaysia
Bidang-bidang utama itu termasuk perdagangan, IT, tenaga, pertanian, eksport daging halal, pelancongan, pendidikan dan pertahanan.
Rwanda catat 7 lagi kes virus Marburg dan satu lagi kematian
Rwanda mencatatkan tujuh kes baharu penyakit virus Marburg dan satu lagi kematian.
Menurut angka terkini yang dikeluarkan lewat Rabu Kementerian Kesihatan Rwanda,
jumlah keseluruhan jangkitan virus Marburg sejak wabak bermula kini sebanyak 36 kes, dengan 11 kematian dilaporkan setakat ini.
Menurut angka terkini yang dikeluarkan lewat Rabu Kementerian Kesihatan Rwanda,
jumlah keseluruhan jangkitan virus Marburg sejak wabak bermula kini sebanyak 36 kes, dengan 11 kematian dilaporkan setakat ini.
Lebih 140 sekolah UNRWA diserang sejak 7 Oktober
Lebih 140 sekolah UNRWA diserang sejak 7 Oktober dalam keadaan dimana penduduk Gaza berlindung di bawah naungan PBB.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Pesuruhjaya Agung Agensi Bantuan dan Kerja Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian Palestin (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini dalam satu hantaran di X.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Pesuruhjaya Agung Agensi Bantuan dan Kerja Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian Palestin (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini dalam satu hantaran di X.
28 petugas dilapor maut dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu di Lubnan
28 petugas kesihatan dilaporkan terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu di Lubnan.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Ketua Pengarah Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pada Khamis.
Perkara itu dimaklumkan Ketua Pengarah Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pada Khamis.