At least five people have died in the US as severe weather batters the central and eastern parts of the country, which has declared a state of emergency in seven states, canceled hundreds of flights and caused power outages.

The meteorological service predicts that in some areas of the country the temperature will drop to -18 ° Celsius, while there will also be strong gusts of wind after the first major winter storm of the year moved yesterday, Monday, evening “quickly to the east, towards the Atlantic Ocean”.

The heavy snowfalls initially hit central US states yesterday before spreading to the east (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia), resulting in flight cancellations, suspension of schools and some public services, and traffic accidents.

More than 50 million people have been affected by the wave of severe weather, with nearly 200,000 without power overnight, mostly in the state of Virginia, according to the website Poweroutage.us. At the same time, 2,300 flights were canceled and thousands of others were delayed.

Five people have died in accidents caused by bad weather in the states of Missouri and Kansas, local authorities said.

“The roads remain dangerous,” mainly because of the ice, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned, calling on citizens to avoid travel.

A white blanket of snow blankets the streets of Washington, D.C., with children and adults playing snowball fights on sidewalks and parks. Some even skied.

“I am very happy. I grew up in the snow,” said Nikki White, putting on her skis and noting that she plans to make the most of the situation “because it doesn’t snow much anymore” due to climate change.

Scientists stress that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe due to human activity-induced global warming.

Authorities were warning residents of the states at the center of this severe weather all day yesterday to avoid travel due to snow and ice on the roads. But videos broadcast by The Weather Channel showed vehicles overturning on icy Kansas roads and semi-trailers ending up on bars.

At the Kansas City airport, snow reached 28 centimeters, the highest snow depth on record in more than 30 years, according to the National Weather Service.

Missouri State Police on Sunday assisted more than 1,000 stranded drivers and received calls for 356 crashes, one of which killed one person.

“The snow turned to ice, causing power outages and more dangerous road conditions. Transportation Security Administration teams are working to clear the roads so public and emergency response teams can move in,” said Andy Beshear, who declared Kentucky a state of emergency.

So did the governors of Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Virginia, Arkansas, and Maryland.

The unusually cold temperatures are expected to persist through the end of the week.

Meanwhile, in the southeastern states of the US, the weather service predicts thunderstorms and hail or even snow in the case of Texas, where snowfall is rare, as well as possibly tornadoes.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on X that he has declared a state of emergency.

On the other hand, on the west coast of the USA, the strong winds worry the authorities as, in combination with the low humidity, they favor the spread of fires.

Firefighters in California have put dozens of vehicles and eight helicopters on standby as they prepare for winds that could reach 100 miles per hour.