The US and Canada have issued a warning alert to millions of people, for the Arctic winter storm during this year’s winter, which is expected to bring the temperature down to extremely dangerous levels. According to this issued storm alert, the Arctic winter storm is estimated to affect the weekends, when people have made their travel plans to their friends and families for Christmas. Because of this storm alert, several flights have been canceled or delayed until further notice. Weather experts have said that the storm will be bringing chilly winds along with it, which will be strong enough to cause frostbites within just 10 minutes of exposure. This alert has eclipsed the Christmas plans for over 177 million people in the US. According to many weather forecasts, this storm will be bringing the iciest winter in the US and Canada in decades.
The National Weather Service, US, said that many areas in the country could experience temperatures as low as -50°F to -70°F during the weekend before Christmas. This forecast also includes major cities like Des Moines, Iowa, and other metropolitan areas. Many weather experts have also said that the storm could turn into a bomb cyclone by this Friday when Christmas will be just a couple of days ahead. Bomb cyclone is a term used when any cyclone has the capability of intensifying quickly due to its rapidly falling air pressure. This makes the cyclone have extremely high wind velocity, which during winters, pushes the temperature down to dangerous levels. US President Joe Biden addressed the public from the White House that this storm is not like the snowy days which people used to experience when they were kids, this is some serious stuff. This storm is expected to cause severe problems for migrant workers and homeless people who are living on the streets without anywhere to go. For such people, the storm will bring harsh conditions.
The authorities in Colorado, Wyoming, and north Minnesota are already addressing such situations. These regions are seeing hundreds of calls for help as the highways are having extremely low visibility due to stormy weather. Because of this, many accidents have been reported by now in these areas. The workers from emergency services are working their best to clear the snow off of roads to have better conditions for vehicles, but constant snowing is creating many problems for them too. The authorities are having a tough time providing necessary help to the people because of not have enough equipment to address the help calls they are getting. The harsh temperatures are also freezing the cold temperatures which are freezing the equipment used for rescue missions. Because of the storm, many areas in the country are reporting power line failures, thus disrupting communications in these regions. Electricity also means a thermostat which is crucial equipment during winter. But due to the possibility of power line failures, the power agencies are suggesting their customers turn down their heaters to have better power management. The US has been battling the climate change consequences throughout the year, and this winter storm has added another entry to it.
