Winter storm Elliott – latest: Driving ban lifted in Buffalo as blizzard deaths hit 38
Buffalo region worst affected in US with at least 38 deaths after blizzard dumped 50 inches of snow on city
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Your support makes all the difference.One of the coldest Christmases in modern memory has left more than 60 people dead across the US, with 38 people killed in and around the city of Buffalo, which was hammered by over 50 inches of snow.
Nearly a week after the extreme blizzard, the driving ban in Buffalo was lifted on Thursday, although motorists have been advised to be careful around snow-removal equipment and at intersections.
“Hundreds of very large pieces of equipment will still be out clearing streets from curb-to-curb,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz warned in a tweet.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Poloncarz confirmed three additional deaths, marking the deadliest storm in western New York in at least two generations.
National Guard went door to door conducting welfare checks in neighbourhoods that lost electricity. As the city continues to dig out of the storm, the death toll is expected to climb further.
Beyond New York state, winter storm Elliott’s icy bite also saw temperatures plunge to record lows in parts of Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, and wrought havoc on Christmas travel plans.
WATCH: Wild video shows 50-car pileup on Ohio turnpike
Tough winter weather has proved a nightmare on America’s roads this week.
In Ohio, at least one person is dead after a 50-car pile-up.
Here’s a video of the wreck, courtesy of ABC News.
Over 5,000 flights canceled on Friday, one-day record for 2022
Snow storms across the country have knocked out airports.
At least 5,259 flights were canceled on Friday, a one-day record for 2022, according to the New York Times.
Portland Pickles college baseball mascot films news PSA
The Portland Pickles, a team that competes in the collegiate West Coast League, are warning Oregon residents about the danger of slipping on icy sidewalks.
“Stay safe out there today,” the team wrote on Twitter on Friday, attaching a local news segment featuring their mascot, Dillon, a giant pickle in a baseball uniform, slipping while going for a run on snowy pavement.
Winter Storm Elliot, by the numbers
Roughly two-thirds of America is under warnings or advisories for Storm Elliott as the historic polar vortex tightens its grip across the country on Friday.
More than 200 million people are facing subzero temperatures – in some places as low as -40C. This will be accompanied by dangerous winds, and blinding, heavy snowfall at a time when many families were planning a return to a somewhat normal festive season after several years of pandemic restrictions and worries.
Blizzards, whiteouts, rapid ice-overs and freezing, powerful winds stretched from the Canadian border south to the Rio Grande, Gulf Coast and central Florida, and from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern Seaboard. The National Weather Service described it as “one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever”.
Louise Boyle from out climate team has the details.
Deadly winter storm Elliott: 200 million under alerts in US as 3,000 flights axed
Major transit hubs in New York, Chicago, Washington, Denver, Minneapolis and Detroit just a few of those impacted
Why Winter Storm Elliot is ‘once-in-a-generation'
An Arctic blast will sweep the United States, impacting nearly every state this holiday season with a miserable mix of dangerous cold, blinding snow squalls and flash freezing.
The powerful winter storm will produce widespread, disruptive and potentially crippling impacts across the central and eastern United States between now and Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service warned.
The weather system is so large that about 200 million people across 30 states, from Washington to Florida, were under winter storm warnings and advisories today, and some states declared emergencies due to the conditions.
Louise Boyle has more.
‘Once-in-a-generation’ storms sweep the US
The powerful winter storm will produce widespread, disruptive and potentially crippling impacts across the central and eastern United States
Where Winter Storm Elliot will have the biggest impact
Tens of thousands of people are without power and thousands of flights already cancelled or delayed as an Arctic blast began to sweep the United States on Thursday.
The powerful winter storm is forecast to hit 30 states from Washington to Florida this holiday season with a miserable mix of dangerous cold, blinding snow squalls and flash freezing.
The impacts will be widespread, disruptive and potentially crippling across the central and eastern US between now and Christmas Day, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported.
Louise Boyle reports.
Flights canceled as snow and ‘dangerous’ cold weather from Washington to Florida
The powerful winter storm will produce widespread, disruptive and potentially crippling impacts across states from Washington and Oregon and as far south as Florida and Texas
Kentucky declares state of emergency amid ‘really dangerous’ cold weather
Kentucky has declared a state of emergency amid “really dangerous” cold weather this week.
Governor Andy Beshear warned people that the extremely cold weather forecast for the state could lead to hazardous conditions.
“This is going to be really, really dangerous,” Gov. Beshear told a press conference on Wednesday morning. “After tornadoes and floods, pandemics and multiple ice storms just in these last three years, I don’t want to lose one person to this Arctic front that is coming through.”
Louise Boyle has the story.
Kentucky declares state of emergency
A dangerous “bomb cyclone” will sweep the United States in the coming days
What is a ‘bomb cyclone’? US facing winter weather warning
An Arctic blast is sweeping the United States, impacting swathes of the country this holiday season with a miserable mix of dangerous cold, blinding snow squalls and flash freezing.
The powerful winter storm will produce widespread, disruptive and potentially crippling impacts across the central and eastern United States between now and Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service warned.
Forecasters are also warning of the potential for a “bomb cyclone” – but what does this mean?
Louise Boyle has more.
What is a ‘bomb cyclone’? US facing winter weather warning
An Arctic blast is bringing extreme cold, blizzard conditions and high winds to much of the US this week
ICYMI: One dead after massive 50-care pileup on Ohio turnpike
One person was killed and multiple others injured in a huge 50-vehicle crash in Ohio, according to officials.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says that the crash happened in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike in Sandusky County on Friday morning.
Officials say that buses were used to collect and take people from the scene of the accident to a nearby facility to keep them warm in freezing temperatures.
No details have been released on the cause of the crash or of the person killed in the accident.
But officials say that the initial crashes began at around 11.45am, with two people injured in a five-car crash.
Graeme Massie reports.
One dead after massive 50-care pileup on Ohio turnpike
Accident happened in eastbound lanes of turnpike in Sandusky County during frigid weather
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