Millions of Americans faced deadly cold due to subfreezing temperatures throughout much of the country. Arctic storms caused tens of thousands of people in the Northwest to lose power, brought snow to the South, and battered the Northeast with blizzard conditions that forced the postponement of an NFL game. Four people died as a result of these storms, according to the sources.On Sunday, wind chills below zero Fahrenheit (minus 17 Celsius) caused weather warnings or advisories for an estimated 95 million people countrywide. The severe cold was predicted by forecasters to move as far south as northern Texas, while wind chill values in Montana and the Dakotas might drop as low as minus 70 degrees (minus 56 degrees Celsius) due to the brutal blast.Meanwhile, South Dakota Department of Public Safety has issued alert for the wind chills to continue this week and have advised people to stay indoors, if possible, It takes a matter of minutes for frostbite to set in, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in a statement on Sunday.Taking it to Twitter the department further said, “Dangerous to life threatening wind chills continue early this week. Coldest wind chills of -40 to -50°F are expected through this evening. Prepare yourself, your pets and your vehicles before going out!”Dangerous to life threatening wind chills continue early this week.Coldest wind chills of -40 to -50°F are expected through this evening.Prepare yourself, your pets and your vehicles before going out! #KeepSDsafe pic.twitter.com/HzS4zcwyN1— South Dakota Department of Public Safety (@SDPublicSafety) January 15, 2024In Buffalo, New York, where snowfall of 1 to 2 feet was forecast, severe conditions led officials to postpone the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL playoff game from Sunday to Monday. Winds whipped at 48 km per hour, and snow was falling at a rate of 2 inches per hour.In addition to this, more than 130,000 homes and businesses were without electricity across the country in Oregon, most of them have been reported from the Portland metro area.The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services informed that its crews are working non-stop at several locations to make emergency repairs and prevent sewage releases into homes and businesses.Cancellation of flightsIn addition to this, several airports across the country have been impacted. More than half of flights into and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport have also been cancelled. Scores of flights also were cancelled or delayed at Chicago, Denver and Seattle-Tacoma airports.
