A violent winter storm swept across the United States over the Christmas weekend, wreaking havoc across much of the country and killing dozens. Temperatures were in the double-digit minus range in many regions.
With icy winds and severe rapid falls, the situation was life-threatening in some places, especially in the region and around the Great Lakes in the north-east of the USA and on the border with Canada. Hundreds of thousands of homes were without power. For many people, the storm "Elliott" brought Christmas under extreme conditions.
Death toll continued to rise
The storm hit the city of Buffalo, which is located on the shore of Lake Erie in the US state of New York, with all its force. Heavy snowfalls and gale force winds caused so-called whiteout conditions on the roads, in which drivers can lose their orientation due to the extremely limited visibility. Many people were stuck in their homes and cars. At times, the police and fire brigade were unable to respond to emergency calls. According to authorities, seven people died in Erie County alone on Sunday. On Saturday, rescue workers helped with the birth of a child over the phone, wrote the "New York Times".
The death toll continued to rise. US media reported on Sunday that the winter storm killed well over 30 people. The NBC broadcaster, citing its own count, even reported 41 fatalities, the ABC broadcaster at least 39. Rescue workers and officials expected the number of victims to continue to rise.
TV images showed streets covered with a thick layer of ice. Cars and trucks slid across the road, crashed into each other or left the road.
Hundreds of thousands of households were affected by power outages over the weekend. On Saturday morning (local time), more than 1.6 million households were temporarily without electricity, as the PowerOutage website showed. The Arctic cold front also messed up the Christmas plans of many travelers: According to the flight data website FlightAware, more than 10,000 flights were canceled from Friday to Sunday. Chaos reigned at many airports. Some have been temporarily closed.
Severe weather warnings for more than 200 million people
The effects of the cold spell were felt as far south as the United States. In view of the drop in temperatures, the situation also became serious for migrants on the border with Mexico, many of whom are currently camping on the streets of the border towns. Many of them are waiting for a controversial deportation regulation to be lifted, which allows for quick deportation with reference to the corona pandemic. It was actually supposed to expire last week. The US government had asked the US Supreme Court for a delay until after Christmas.
The storm calmed down somewhat in most states on Sunday. According to the US Weather Service, the center of the Arctic cold front shifted north and migrated to eastern Canada. Heavy snowfall and freezing winds continued in the Great Lakes region.
The winter storm had had large parts of the USA under control since the day before Christmas. More than 200 million people had received severe weather warnings. Several states had declared a state of emergency as a precaution, including New York. "Mother Nature is demanding everything she has to offer this weekend," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
