Arctic storm in the US: The center of the country will experience record low temperatures

Icy winter weather covers the United States these days, while a Arctic storm surge threatens to break record death toll Temperatures in the middle of the country are spreading cold and snow from coast to coast, chilling everything from the football playoffs to the presidential campaign.

The weather forecast was a shock package of color-coded warnings, kicking off the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend. Blizzard Warning In Oregon until further notice Snow on the Northern Plains and warnings strong wind in New Mexico.

“All in all, it’s been a terrible, terrible winter. And it came out of nowhere, two days.”Dan Abinana said while observing snowy Des Moines, Iowa. He came to the state from Tanzania as a child years ago, but said “you never get used to the snow.”

Bad weather played a role in Oregon Three deaths.

In Portland, medical examiners were investigating Death from hypothermia Freezing rain and heavy snow fell in a city more used to light winter rains and hundreds of people took shelter overnight in warming centres.

The Portland Fire and Rescue Department also reported A woman in her 30s died on Saturday afternoon. A motor home caught fire when a small group of people used an open flame stove to keep warm inside and a tree fell on the vehicle, causing the fire to spread. Three others escaped, one with minor injuries, but The woman was trapped insideThe fire department said.

Authorities in Lake Oswego, Oregon, said a A large tree fell on a house during strong winds on Saturday, killing an elderly person on the second floor.

It was already reported earlier in the week Weather-related deaths in California, Idaho, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

The state of emergency was declared, citing Nebraska Governor Jim Pile “Extremely Dangerous Situations”. Up to 6 feet (2.0 m) of snow fell in some areas in the past week, and wind chills were well below freezing.

“This event is not going away tonight. “It’s not going to disappear tomorrow,” Pillen warned at a press conference. “It will take several days.”

About 1,700 kilometers (2,735 mi) of Nebraska highways were closed. Nebraska State Patrol Chief Colonel John A. Bolduc said state police helped more than 400 stranded motorists.

in Iowa, cars were stuck in the snow on Interstate 80 for five hours after a semi-truck overturned in slippery conditions. The state police took over 86 crashes and 535 motorist calls for assistance since Friday, State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla said.

There was a road crew “Working like a madman with a snowplow”Dinkla said, but strong winds were blowing snow on the roads.

Governors since then NY till then Louisiana They warned residents to be prepared for alarming weather.

Parts of Montana dropped below -30 degrees Celsius Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service said similar temperatures are expected Northern Kansas, with a possible temperature of -46°C) in the Dakotas. In St. Louis, the National Weather Service issued a rare and “life-threatening” cold warning.

“We have, now, multiple storms in a row” marching across the country, said Weather Service meteorologist Zach Taylor. It usually happens at least twice a US winter.

Still, for Ebony Jones of Des Moines, it felt unusual because of “how much we were getting in a week.”

“It’s crazy,” Jones said while shoveling snow.

Grant Rampton, 25, of Des Moines also braved the wind chill -29°C

To sledding with friends on the golf course, to combat the cold by wearing layers of insulated clothing and socks and constant movement.

“It’s a great state to live in,” said Rampton, a lifelong resident of Iowa. “There’s not much to do, especially in the winter, but you can have fun on your own, like here, sledding with your friends.”

Temperature in parts of Iowa could see a low of -14 degrees Celsius on Monday, when the state’s caucuses kick off the presidential primary season. And forecasters said it would be Wednesday before the subzero wind chill disappeared.

Republicans Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump canceled campaign events due to the storm.

Power was out Saturday afternoon for thousands of homes and businesses, mainly in Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin, according to poweroutage.us.

in In Yankton, South Dakota, the temperature was -15°C at night Police said snowplows were “freezing and breaking”, so they would not be working until conditions improved. The Minnehaha County Highway Department also recalled its snow plows “due to low visibility and extremely cold temperatures.”

In other places, if the problem wasn’t snow and wind, it was water: Record high tides hit the Northeast, flooding some homes in Maine and New Hampshire.

1.2 to 2 centimeters (5 to 5 inches) of rain fell in the morning along the northeastern coast and The storm amplified what was already the highest tide of the monthNational Weather Service meteorologist Michael Sempa said. In Portland, Maine, a gauge recorded a difference of 4.4 meters between high and low tide, surpassing the previous record of 4.3 meters set in 1978.

Governor of NYKathy Hochul, warned “Dangerous Storm” By announcing it The NFL playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed from Sunday to Monday. Residents in the county that includes Buffalo were told to stay off the roads starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, with the forecast calling for 0 to 6 feet (1.2 to 0.3 m) or more of snow and winds of up to 65 km/h (105 mph). was .

Kansas City, Missouri hosted a frigid playoff game between the Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. The temperature was -20°C Early in the game, Arrowhead easily set the record for the coldest game at the stadium.

Still, hundreds of fans lined up outside the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot hours early, some wearing ski goggles, thermal socks and other winter gear they bought for the game.

Like many other fans, Chiefs season ticket holder Keaton Slater and his friends considered trying to sell their seats.

“But we decided it was all part of the experience, and we didn’t want to miss it,” said Slater, of West Des Moines, Iowa.

In Oregon, Robert Banks, who has been homeless for several years, stood outside his blue tent on a Portland street that afternoon, wearing gloves as Sleight beat him. He said he wanted to secure his belongings before going to the shelter.

“I lived in Alaska for many years,” he said. “The wind and the wet cold are different from the dry cold of the tundra… Oh, it’s cold.”

Snow was welcomed in at least one place.

Philip Spitzli of Lake Odessa, Michigan erected 95 small snowmen in his front yard to celebrate his 95th birthday on Friday. Fifteen family members and a neighbor helped with the snow-dumping job, which lasted about 90 minutes.

“I was very surprised,” Spitzli said. “I was sitting here watching my TV and I didn’t know they were out there. “Then I saw the lantern.”

The display has become a sight as motorists slow down to catch a glimpse. And with cooler days ahead, “they’re going to be there for a while,” Spitzli said.

(with information from AP)