Heavy snow, strong winds and life-threatening chills expected
Good morning, readers! The country is currently bracing for a winter storm that is expected to affect about 60% of the US population.
Over 200 million people are under various winter weather alerts for what the National Weather Service has described as a “once in a generation type event”.
“The ongoing major winter storm will continue to produce areas of heavy snow, strong winds, and life-threatening wind chills through Saturday. If traveling for the holiday, please use extreme caution and pay attention,” the NWS said on Friday.
Christmas travel is expected to be significantly impacted, with more than 3,100 flights within, in or out of the country already being cancelled on Friday. Over 350,000 homes and businesses were without power Friday morning.
We will be bringing you the latest updates on the storm throughout the day so do follow along.
In the meantime, feel free to read up on Jon Henley’s reporting on the storm!
Key events
Summary
It’s slightly past 5pm in New York. With the winter storm still expected to spread across the country throughout the weekend, here’s where things stand:
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The Memphis police department has confirmed a storm-related death in mid-south Memphis, Tennessee. According to local news reports, police officers received a call at around 8am CT on Friday about a “man down.” Police say that they found a man dead at the scene and believe his death was weather-related.
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FedEx has announced that it will have package delivery delays as a result of the severe winter storm spreading across the country. In an announcement released on Friday, the shipping company said that its Memphis and Indianapolis hubs have experienced “substantial disruptions.”
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A crash involving multiple vehicles has occurred on the Ohio Turnpike on Friday afternoon. Images circulating online show a pileup of several vehicles with a black pickup truck on top, as well as a damaged semi-truck. Troopers have responded to the scene, Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a tweet.
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Over 10,000 flights across the US have been impacted by the winter storm as of Friday afternoon. According to FlightAware.com, as of 3pm ET, there have been a total of 6,238 delays within, into, or out of the US today. Meanwhile, the total cancellations within, into, or out of the country currently stands at 4,607.
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According to PowerOutage.us, a total of 1,475,578 customers were without power shortly after 2pm ET. The region hardest hit by the winter storm is the mid-Atlantic, with 473,774 customers without power. The second hardest-hit region is New England, with 367,848 customers currently without any electricity.
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Alaska Airlines has paused its flights out of the Seattle-Tacoma airport due to freezing rain and icy conditions. “All Alaska and Horizon flights into and out of both Seattle and Portland are canceled until at least noon Pacific time. Since midnight, we’ve canceled more than 270 flights scheduled to operate in Portland and Seattle and additional cancellations and delays are expected,” Alaska Airlines announced.
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New York attorney general Letitia James issued a warning against price gouging during and in the aftermath of winter storm. “New Yorkers should be on the lookout for fraudsters who may use this winter storm to take advantage of consumers,” said James in a press release issued on Friday. “Charging excessive prices for essential products during emergencies is wrong, and it is illegal.”
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Three people have died on the roads in Kentucky, governor Andy Beshear announced on Friday morning. The governor added that the Kentucky National Guard is delivering blankets to the Kentucky state police to distribute to stranded drivers on Interstate 71.
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A wind chill warning has been put into effect across areas of south, central and south-east Texas starting from 6pm Thursday to Friday noon CST as the state braces through blistering winds. To cope with the cold, Texas residents have been using fast food chain Whataburger cups to protect their faucets outside their homes.
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New York governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency that went into effect on Friday at 6am ET. “With Mother Nature throwing everything she has at us this weekend, I encourage New Yorkers who are considering traveling for the holidays to do so before Friday or after Sunday to stay safe,” she said.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, for today. To all our readers in areas impacted by the storm, please stay safe and stay warm!
With the winter storm sweeping across the US, many migrants stuck on the US-Mexico border are weathering the harsh winter as they await a glimmer of hope.
Justo Robles and Valerie Gonzalez report from El Paso, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico:
Christmas was not uppermost in their minds. Bitter cold, uncertainty and urgency were.
Just after 1am at an intersection in downtown El Paso on Thursday, Arturo folded a backpack to make a pillow on the street. The 22-year-old Venezuelan wore a sweater underneath an oversized hoodie wrapped around his face as the temperature plummeted.
A fellow countryman huddling on the concrete nearby broke the news: “Se viene una tormenta” – a storm is coming. Hundreds stuck on both sides of the US-Mexico border are being blown every which way by a legal tempest, but this was a literal, Arctic-level storm.
Arturo, who asked for his last name to be withheld out of fear of being expelled back across the border, looked up at the lights of one of the tallest buildings in this Texas city, a hotel that he couldn’t afford, and spoke of wishing for a warm bed.
For the full story, click here:
The Memphis police department has confirmed a storm-related death in mid-south Memphis, Tennessee.
According to local news reports, police officers received a call at around 8am CT on Friday about a “man down.” Police say that they found a man dead at the scene and believe his death was weather-related.
There were no signs of foul play, said police.
Memphis mayor Jim Strickland has issued a state of emergency across the city as it braces through the severe winter storm.
Two warming centers, Hickory Hill Community Center and the Hospitality Hub Downtown, are currently open for people seeking shelter and are offering hot meals.
FedEx has announced that it will have package delivery delays as a result of the severe winter storm spreading across the country.
In an announcement released on Friday, the shipping company said that its Memphis and Indianapolis hubs have experienced “substantial disruptions.”
It went to add, “All FedEx Express locations have been impacted by severe winter weather and delays can be expected for package deliveries across the US with a delivery commitment through Monday, December 26.”
A crash involving multiple vehicles has occurred on the Ohio Turnpike on Friday afternoon.
Images circulating online show a pileup of several vehicles with a black pickup truck on top, as well as a damaged semi-truck.
Troopers have responded to the scene, Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a tweet.
Over 10,000 flights across the US affected by storm
Over 10,000 flights across the US have been impacted by the winter storm as of Friday afternoon.
According to FlightAware.com, as of 3pm ET, there have been a total of 6,238 delays within, into, or out of the US today.
Meanwhile, the total cancellations within, into, or out of the country currently stands at 4,607.
The Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York has closed down due to “hazardous weather conditions,” the airport announced on Friday.
Nearly 1.5 million people across US without power
Nearly 1.5 million people across the US were without power as of 2:05pm ET.
According to PowerOutage.us, a total of 1,475,578 customers were without power shortly after 2pm ET.
The region hardest hit by the winter storm is the mid-Atlantic, with 473,774 customers without power.
The second hardest-hit region is New England, with 367,848 customers currently without any electricity.
The third and fourth regions with the most power outages are the southeastern and southern US, with 241,215 and 227,641 customers, respectively, that have been affected.
Alaska Airlines has paused its flights out of the Seattle-Tacoma airport due to freezing rain and icy conditions.
“All Alaska and Horizon flights into and out of both Seattle and Portland are canceled until at least noon Pacific time. Since midnight, we’ve canceled more than 270 flights scheduled to operate in Portland and Seattle and additional cancellations and delays are expected,” Alaska Airlines announced.
New York attorney general Letitia James issued a warning against price gouging during and in the aftermath of winter storm.
“New Yorkers should be on the lookout for fraudsters who may use this winter storm to take advantage of consumers,” said James in a press release issued on Friday.
“Charging excessive prices for essential products during emergencies is wrong, and it is illegal.”
She went on to advise consumers who plan to hire contractors to perform storm-related services to shop around and get at least three estimates, insist on a written contract, get references and avoid paying unreasonable advance sums.
Three people die on roads in Kentucky
Three people have died on the roads in Kentucky, governor Andy Beshear announced on Friday morning.
We have reports of a third fatality on our roads. Please stay home and stay safe.
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) December 23, 2022
The governor added that the Kentucky National Guard is delivering blankets to the Kentucky state police to distribute to stranded drivers on Interstate 71.
“Other drivers are being transported by troopers to local shelters,” he added.
Video posted on Twitter on Friday shows massive waves crashing onto the shores of Portland, Maine amid the winter storm sweeping through the east coast.
“Erosion is possible along the coast with potential damage to roads on exposed low-lying shorelines,” said the office of Maine governor Janet Mills.
“High winds with gusts of up to 60 mph could damage trees, power lines, and property,” it added.
Wind chill warning in Texas
A wind chill warning has been put into effect across areas of south, central and south-east Texas starting from 6pm Thursday to Friday noon CST as the state braces through blistering winds.
To cope with the cold, Texas residents have been using fast food chain Whataburger cups to protect their faucets outside their homes.
New York declares state of emergency
New York governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency that went into effect on Friday at 6am ET.
“With Mother Nature throwing everything she has at us this weekend, I encourage New Yorkers who are considering traveling for the holidays to do so before Friday or after Sunday to stay safe,” she said.
Our agencies are well prepared, coordinated and ready to deploy assets and equipment if needed to respond to the storm. We want all New Yorkers to get where they need to go safely to celebrate the holidays with loved ones.”
The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has been coordinating state agency responses across the state.
So far, DHSES has deployed 1,487 generators, 985 pumps, 528 chainsaws, 250 light towers, as well as cots, pillows, blankets, water and MREs (meals ready-to-eat), Hochul’s office announced.
Heavy snow, strong winds and life-threatening chills expected
Good morning, readers! The country is currently bracing for a winter storm that is expected to affect about 60% of the US population.
Over 200 million people are under various winter weather alerts for what the National Weather Service has described as a “once in a generation type event”.
“The ongoing major winter storm will continue to produce areas of heavy snow, strong winds, and life-threatening wind chills through Saturday. If traveling for the holiday, please use extreme caution and pay attention,” the NWS said on Friday.
Christmas travel is expected to be significantly impacted, with more than 3,100 flights within, in or out of the country already being cancelled on Friday. Over 350,000 homes and businesses were without power Friday morning.
We will be bringing you the latest updates on the storm throughout the day so do follow along.
In the meantime, feel free to read up on Jon Henley’s reporting on the storm!
