Hazardous weather in the US: Snow and flooding on the East Coast

Tens of millions of Americans are faced with dangerous and destructive weather conditionsas snowstorms hit the northwest and midwest of the country, while flooding threatens the east coast and tornadoes sweep the southern states.

More than 3,600 flights were canceled or delayed across the US today, including planes grounded at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport due to high winds and heavy snow.

Residents across large parts of the Midwest faced blizzard-like conditions this morning, characterized by heavy snow and gusty winds of up to 60 mph (96 km/h), which are expected to continue into tomorrow, the U.S. Weather Service warned. Service (NWS).

“If you find yourself on the road this morning, you won’t have a good time… consider postponing your commute today“, NWS wrote in a message on the X platform. He noted that visibility on some streets in Chicago was less than 800 meters.

“This storm system is definitely dangeroussaid Zach Taylor, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

“Hazardous zero visibility conditions due to snowfall in the Great Lakes and Midwest“, he added.

According to the website Poweroutage.us, at least 190,000 homes and businesses were without power, including in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Snow and high winds caused more than 700 flights to be canceled or delayed this morning at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is expected to get the heaviest snowfall, with blizzards bringing 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) of snow.

Another 13 million people living near the Atlantic Ocean or from northern Virginia to New England are at risk of flooding from heavy rain and snow in recent days.

Bad weather affects much of the US, American meteorologists point out.

Further south, in Mississippi, about 3 million people are at risk of tornadoes and severe storms, as the U.S. Weather Service warns that winds of up to 60 miles per hour could tear roofs off and uproot trees.

‘Dangerous’ cold snap in Iowa amid primary election

US authorities warned today of a “dangerous winter storm” in Iowa, where Republican voters are expected to vote in their party’s presidential primary.

“Every state in the US is under a yellow, orange or red alert,” the NWS warned on X (formerly Twitter).

In the central US, Iowa will face an ‘edangerous winter storm through tomorrow morning“, the US weather service points out on its website, with “wind gusts of 56 to 72 km/h” and the snow depth “between 7 and 15 cm”.

With “blizzard conditions” and “gale force winds“, movements can be “dangerous” or even “impossible in rural areas,” according to the NWS.

The city of Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, was covered in snow today, with cars and trucks overturned on the road, an AFP reporter from the scene found.

The storm is expected to intensify across the country, with snow hitting the Midwestern states and strong storms in the south, while the mercury is expected to drop to -34 degrees Celsius in the plains in the north, as reported by the CNN television network. .