A freezing Arctic cold wave hit much of the United States on Saturday, leaving nearly 2 million people without power, at least 14 dead in weather-related car crashes and thousands stranded due to flight cancellations.
As expected, falling temperatures brought the coldest Christmas Eve on record and power systems across the country were overwhelmed by increased demand for heating, as well as snowstorm damage to power transmission lines. electricity.
About 1.8 million US homes and businesses were without power as of early Saturday morning, according to tracking website Poweroutage.us.
Many electric companies have urged customers to conserve energy by not plugging in large appliances and turning off unnecessary lights.
The disruptions also disrupted daily routines and vacation plans for millions of Americans during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
Nearly 2,000 US flights were canceled on Saturday, with a total of 4,000 delays, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than 5,000 flights were canceled on Friday.
The American Automobile Association estimated that 112.7 million people planned to venture 50 miles or more from home between Friday and Jan. 2.
Fatal car crashes across the country have killed at least 14 people due to freezing weather, according to media reports.
Two drivers were killed and several others injured in a 50-vehicle pileup that closed the Ohio Turnpike in both directions during a blizzard near Toledo. The accident forced drivers to take shelter on a bus to avoid freezing in their cars, officials said.
Three of the deaths were reported in Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday warned residents to “stay home, safe and alive.”
“I know it’s very difficult because it’s Christmas Eve. But we’re having dozens and dozens of accidents,” he said. “It’s just not safe” to leave the house.
Temperatures are forecast to reach a high this Saturday of just 7 degrees Fahrenheit (-13°C) in Pittsburgh, surpassing the coldest-ever Christmas Eve high of 13°F set in 1983, the NWS said.
“The cold snap will persist through Christmas,” said meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook of the NWS Weather Prediction Center.
Minneapolis was the coldest spot in the US on Saturday at -6°F (-21°C), and on Christmas morning, the coldest spot will be Fargo, North Dakota, at -20°F (-29°C), he said.
Cold will begin to moderate from west to east across the US, with the high plains and central US returning to normal on Tuesday, but it won’t warm up on the east coast until Thursday or Friday, he said.
“For now it’s going to be cold,” he said.
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