An arctic storm brings drastic temperature drops and extreme cold to the USA over the Christmas period. The US weather service warns of heavy snowfall, cold winds and temperatures of up to minus 50 degrees, especially in the north and west of the country.

In some places, according to the weather service, the temperatures fell by a good 20 degrees within half an hour. Sometimes it gets so cold that there is a risk of frostbite within minutes, the authorities warned.

US President Joe Biden also found drastic words: "It's not just a snowy day, like from childhood. It's serious," he said in the White House.

The extreme cold snap could also upset millions of Americans' Christmas travel plans. Snow, ice and strong winds threaten to massively affect traffic on the road and in the air. The weather service advised against driving in parts of the country that were particularly affected by the cold. The situation can be life-threatening if you break down on the road with the car.

The southern United States is also affected. An extreme frost warning has been issued for the states of Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. The governor of Louisiana urged residents of his state to prepare for Arctic temperatures. "Please take care of your friends, your neighbors or family members," the governor's official website said.

In some parts of Louisiana, which typically has a more subtropical climate, "life-threatening" temperatures of as low as minus 15 degrees with strong winds are expected.

How dangerous cold snaps of this kind can be in the USA was shown in February 2021 in the state of Texas in the south of the USA. At that time, the power grid collapsed due to the sudden cold, gas pipelines froze and power plants had to be shut down. Millions of people were left without electricity in the freezing cold, sometimes for days, and many died.