A snow storm is sweeping large areas of North America, amid expectations of an increase in its severity, which has so far led to the cancellation of thousands of flights, the closure of railways, and the power outages of more than a million homes in the United States.
On Friday evening, the authorities in the United States issued warnings to about 70% of the population of the dangers of a historic snow storm that carries with it a wave of polar frost.
The US National Weather Service said the current frostbite occurs "once in a generation" and has the potential to become deadly.
She added that with the start of the severe cold wave extending from Texas to Montana eastward, more than 240 million people were covered by bad weather warnings.
The temperature dropped to -38 degrees Celsius in some areas in Montana and Minnesota, and it recorded -12 degrees Celsius in Dallas, Texas, where the weather is usually mild.
In some cities in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, the temperature dropped to -50 degrees Celsius.
The number of flights canceled in the United States on Friday exceeded 4,170, while another 4,650 flights were postponed, according to the Flight Aware flight tracking website, and many of these flights were scheduled at major international airports, particularly in New York and Seattle. and chicago.
About 7,000 flights were canceled over the past three days, disrupting the travel plans of millions of Americans preparing for the Christmas holidays, and some regional rail and bus lines were closed through Sunday.
The Power Outage Observatory in the United States warned that the severe cold is a source of imminent concern for more than a million subscribers, especially in the south and east of the country, where the power has been cut off since Friday morning.
And the road transportation authorities in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Iowa and others reported that visibility is almost non-existent and ice covers the roads, warning of the repercussions of the snow storm, and appealing to residents to stay in their homes.
On Thursday, at least two people died in a traffic accident in Oklahoma, while Kentucky Governor Andy Bashir confirmed that 3 people died in his state.
Experts pointed out that the storm may intensify quickly and turn into what is known as a "hurricane bomb", which is formed when atmospheric pressure decreases and cold air masses collide with warm ones.