Bomb cyclone hammers US; millions without power  

Monday, December 26, 2022

At least 34 people have lost their lives in weather-related incidents across the United States, according to the news report, tally as the monster storm gripped most of the nation coupled with snow, ice and howling winds.

This bomb cyclonic storm is expected to claim more lives as it has trapped some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocked out power in lakhs of homes and businesses.

In Canada, electricity was also out to at least 1,40,000 utility customers, mostly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, hard hit by the same weather system that buried western New York in snow. The four fatalities occurred in Canada when a bus rolled over on an icy road near the town of Merritt, in the western province of British Columbia.

The scope of the winter storm has been unprecedented, stretching from Canada as far south as the Rio Grande. The forecasters say the storm will ease off in the next few days but the advice remains to avoid travelling unless essential.

The storm has wreaked havoc for days but power has been steadily restored after earlier blackouts. Fewer than 200,000 customers were without power as of Sunday afternoon EDT, down from a peak of 1.7 million, reports.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled, preventing many people from reaching their families at Christmas. More than 55 million Americans remained under wind chill alerts on Sunday.

The “bomb cyclone” winter storm – which occurs when atmospheric pressure plummets, causing heavy snow and winds – has disrupted travel across the US.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul – a native of Buffalo – said that this will go down in history as Buffalo’s most devastating storm. It is going to a war zone and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking,” she told reporters on Sunday evening. The residents still faced a “very dangerous life-threatening situation” and anyone in the area should remain indoors, she said.

12 deaths were confirmed in Erie County, with some victims found dead in cars or snow banks. Storm-related deaths were also reported in Vermont, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Colorado. South Florida’s temperatures dropped so low, that iguanas froze and fell from trees.

The western US state of Montana is the worst hit by the cold, with temperatures dropping to -50F (-45C). In Canada, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec are bearing the brunt of the storm.

In Quebec almost 120,000 customers were without electricity on Sunday. Officials say it some could take days for some households to be reconnected.

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