hollywoodtone.blogspot.com US braces for coldest weather in decades; 16 dead
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com US braces for coldest weather in decades; 16 dead
Parts of the US have had serious amounts of snow dumped on them already but the bad news is there is worse on the way. A blast of Arctic air is predicted and it could bring some of the lowest temperatures in decades to parts of US Midwest.
During 2013 weird weather affected many countries and 2014 looks set to follow suit. Torrential rain and flooding in parts of the UK, extreme heat affecting parts of Australia and in the US heavy snowfalls and a big chill. "The coldest temperatures in almost two decades will spread into the northern and central U.S. today behind an arctic cold front," reports Reuters. The storm will move on to the Northeast, where residents are already digging out from a deadly snowstorm. The National Weather Service said in an advisory posted on its website, Sunday. "Combined with gusty winds, these temperatures will result in life-threatening wind chill values as low as 60 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit/ -51 Celsius)." The extreme temperatures are due to a phenomena described as a polar vortex. It will draw super-chilled air from the Arctic and blast it into North and South Dakota, the Great Lakes states and New England, sending temperatures plunging.
A polar vortex is an anti-clockwise rotating pool of cold, dense air that forms close to the North Pole, but typically hangs over Canada.In the Midwest people have already been recording exceptionally low temperatures; the lowest for more than a decade. In Washington DC the coldest temperatures for 20 years have been recorded. According to Sky News "Icy weather is feared to have been a factor that led to a Delta Airways flight skidding off the runway at JFK Airport on Sunday". There is widespread travel disruption in the affected areas. Many schools are closed. An online buddy, who lives in Minneapolis, told this Digital Journalist Sunday evening,
We're in a deep freeze with the wind chill temperatures set to reach the -50's Fahrenheit tomorrow. My 5 year old's school has been cancelled tomorrow due to the cold weather. It sucks because I've been working long hours and have to go out in this weather. Today is the first day off in a while.Other schools across the US will also close. Minnesota is expected to announce closures and the Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Madison have already announced school closures to start the week.
At least 16 people have died due to blizzard-like conditions battering the eastern half of the US, leaving nearly two feet of snow.
Around 1,900 flights have been cancelled across the country as howling wind and sub-zero temperatures wreaked chaos.
Governors in New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency and urged residents to stay at home, while hundreds of schools were shut down in Boston and New York.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "This is nothing to be trifled with. People should seriously consider staying in their homes."The extreme cold in the US has been called a once in a lifetime event with scientists claiming the temperatures will be a first for those aged under 40. However, we are seeing more and more of these so-called once in a lifetime weather events. In Brazil it is extreme heat. Spare a thought for the people of Brazil who are experiencing an extreme heatwave. In Rio de Janeiro temperatures rose so high fire sprinklers in shopping malls were activated, as the thermometer topped 40C (102F). Thousands headed to the beach to try and stay cool as temperatures rose to more than 50C in the sunshine. However a few weeks ago it was flooding causing problems in Brazil. Images, news reports and footage are reminiscent of the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow', in which the world experiences a series of extreme weather events before a big chill kills many and ends life as we know it, at least in the northern hemisphere. You can track the snow on an interactive map online here.
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com US braces for coldest weather in decades; 16 dead