Washington – At least 30 people have died so far in severe snowstorms and cold snaps across the United States, driven by icy winds from the Arctic, the British daily The Guardian reported, citing information from the Associated Press .
Deaths have been reported from multiple states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee and Massachusetts. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people have died in the city in the past two days.
Authorities said some of the deaths were caused by road accidents, while the rest were caused by hypothermia from prolonged exposure to extreme cold. About two-thirds of the United States has been covered in thick snow since the beginning of this week.
The US National Weather Service has issued a “cold alert” for more than 200 million people. The intense cold has caused several power plants to shut down as demand for electricity soared, causing major power outages across the country. More than 670,000 homes were without power as of Monday, according to PowerOutage.com.
Due to adverse weather conditions, schools and educational institutions have been closed in many states and people have been requested not to leave their homes unless it is essential. At the same time, air travel has also been hit hard. More than 17,000 flights were canceled across the United States on Sunday, and more than 10,000 more flights were canceled on Monday – this is the highest cancellation record in two days since the Covid pandemic.
Source: AP, The Guardian