Flights cancelled as winter storm and cold sweeps the US
Flights cancelled as winter storm and cold sweeps the US
- Published4 minutes ago
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https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.47.1/iframe.htmlMedia caption,
BBC Weather’s Matt Taylor looks in detail at the dangerously cold conditions
By Nadine Yousif
BBC News
A powerful arctic winter storm is making its way through the US and parts of Canada, bringing with it frigid temperatures and flight delays ahead of the busiest travel days of the year.
More than 100 million people across the US are under winter weather alerts, and snowy conditions are expected to wreak travel chaos this weekend.
Major airports have already cancelled flights in anticipation of the storm.
The cold snap could bring the coldest Christmas in decades, say forecasters.
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The National Weather Service (NWS) said bone-chilling temperatures of -50F (-45C) and -70F were possible by the end of this week in some parts of the country.
How to stay safe in a winter storm
The arctic air mass is projected to travel as low as the US-Mexico border, where strong wind gusts will dip the temperature to 15F (-9.4C) in El Paso, Texas.
Even Florida, the Sunshine State, is projected to see its coldest Christmas in 30 years.
The NWS has called it a “once-in-a-generation” winter weather event, especially as the storm reaches the Great Lakes region, where its pressure is expected to reach the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.
The storm is also bringing with it snowfall and powerful winds, which are expected to cause damage and power outages in the Midwest and Canada.
