Severe winter weather in the United States has killed at least 50 people this week, authorities and local media announced Friday. Freezing temperatures, sleet and snow make roads especially dangerous, disrupting air travel, closing schools and leaving thousands of homes without power.
Millions of Americans are on weather warnings. In the state of Tennessee (East), the health department has reported 14 deaths due to weather conditions. In Pennsylvania (northeast), five women died Tuesday in an accident with a semi-trailer on a highway, according to police.
More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled
Five climate-related deaths were also reported in Kentucky (East), Gov. Andy Beshear said in a press release Friday, while in Oregon (Northwest), three people were electrocuted when power lines fell on their cars during Wednesday’s snowstorm. to the Portland Fire Department. In Oregon, 75,000 people were without power Friday evening, according to the Poweroutage.us website, and the governor declared a state of emergency.
Deaths were also reported in Illinois (Northeast), Kansas (Central), New Hampshire (Northeast), New York (Northeast), Wisconsin (North), and Washington (Northeast). According to the website Flightaware.com, the weather caused the cancellation of 1,100 American flights and the delay of 8,000 others, while cold temperatures are expected to persist in certain regions, such as the center of the country, through the weekend.
