(Washington) A major winter storm is sweeping toward the northeastern United States on Sunday after hitting several central and southern states, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers across the country and leading to massive flight cancellations.
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Considered by some meteorologists to be one of the worst winter events in recent decades in the United States, the storm brought freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall and ice accumulations with potentially “catastrophic” consequences, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“The effects of snow and ice will be felt through next week, with freeze-up events keeping surfaces icy and dangerous for both driving and walking in the coming days,” the NWS warned.
Nearly 900,000 customers were without electricity around 12 p.m. Sunday, mainly in the south, according to the specialized site poweroutage.us.
The storm moved northeast on Sunday, dumping snow on major cities on the Atlantic coast.
A layer of several centimeters of snow covered sidewalks and roads in Washington, where a state of emergency was declared.
PHOTO OLIVER CONTRERAS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
People participate in a snowball fight at Meridian Hill Park in Washington on Sunday.
At least two dozen states did the same as the storm approached.
“We will continue to monitor and stay in contact with all states in the path of this storm. Stay safe and stay warm! », For his part urged Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform.
Several large airports in the capital, Philadelphia and New York were virtually at a standstill, while nearly 15,000 flights to and from the United States were canceled over the weekend, and thousands more were delayed, according to the FlightAware website.
Schools closed
In Houston, a large Texas metropolis still marked by the winter storm of 2021, when millions of homes were deprived of power, the worst seems to have been avoided, but the authorities remain on guard.
“We cannot relax our vigilance. Temperatures will be below zero this evening, and based on all the reports we are receiving, the moisture on the ground will freeze after dark,” Mayor John Whitmire warned at a press conference Sunday.
He said the city’s schools would remain closed on Monday.
The storm is linked to a deformation of the polar vortex, an air mass usually circulating above the north pole, but which has stretched towards the south.
Scientists believe that the increasing frequency of these vortex disruptions could be linked to climate change, although the debate is not settled and natural variability also plays a role.
A self-confessed climate skeptic, Donald Trump nevertheless used the storm as an excuse to once again express his skepticism on his Truth Social platform: “Could the environmental insurgents please explain to me: WHAT HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING? “.
Authorities have warned that the cold weather is expected to last all week, particularly in some central areas, where temperatures could reach -45°C.
