According to officials and the media, the severe onset of winter in the United States, which has been ongoing for several days, has claimed at least 50 lives across the country so far. The southern state of Tennessee alone has reported 14 weather-related deaths so far, the health commission said. On Friday (local time), the National Weather Service warned of more dangerous winter storms and freezing temperatures for the central and eastern parts of the country.
Kentucky's governor confirmed five winter weather-related deaths on Friday. Three people were electrocuted after a power line fell on a parked car in the northwestern state of Oregon, the Portland Fire Department said. The winter storm left 75,000 people without power in Oregon, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.
Five women were killed when a semi-trailer crashed on a highway in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to police. Additional deaths were reported in Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, Wisconsin and Washington.
A heavy blizzard has been blowing across America for several days. Western New York was particularly hard hit, with nearly two meters of new snow falling in five days near Buffalo, according to meteorologists. The icy weather also reached deep into the south of the country – an area unused to such weather.
Due to snow and arctic temperatures, many schools in the country are closed. Air travel is also restricted: More than 1,100 flights were canceled and 8,000 were delayed on Friday, according to the website Flightaware.
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