Winter storm's icy blast hits 200 million in US

[Scott]

 

Some 200 million Americans are under a weather advisory as a massive winter storm tightens its icy grip on the country ahead of the holiday weekend.

More than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled on Friday.

So far at least 12 deaths related to the storm have been confirmed across the country.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64083129

[hotchilli]

22 hours ago, Scott said:

More than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled on Friday.

Ho Ho Ho... 

[Tug]

27 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Ho Ho Ho... 

yup and 17 dead so far sadly 

[BritManToo]

Always amazed the western power system has become so fragile.

Same in the UK last week, bit of cold weather and off goes the electricity.

[metisdead]

Airlines cancel 10,000 flights during severe winter storms and scramble to rebook holiday travelers

U.S. flight cancellations eased somewhat on Saturday but federal officials warned that disruptions could continue as severe winter storms snarled air travel across the country ahead of Christmas.

U.S.-based airlines have canceled more than 10,000 flights since Wednesday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The bad weather and flight disruptions upended the holiday travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people during what airlines expect to be one of the busiest periods since before the pandemic.

 

Read more here: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/24/winter-storms-force-airlines-to-cancel-10000-flights.html

[metisdead]

Winter storm updates: 17 deaths reported; widespread freezing temperatures to continue through Christmas

 

A powerful winter storm kept pummeling the United States on Christmas Eve with dangerously cold temperatures and heavy snow – leaving in its wake fatal car crashes, thousands of canceled flights and millions at risk for future power outages.

The massive footprint of the winter weather and its timing during a busy holiday travel week makes the arctic blast particularly dangerous. The National Weather Service on Friday said its warnings and advisories covered about 200 million people – "one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever,” forecasters said.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/12/24/winter-storm-updates-deaths-crashes-power-outages/10950466002/

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Always amazed the western power system has become so fragile.

Same in the UK last week, bit of cold weather and off goes the electricity.

It's like the London tube service. A bit of snow or a few leaves on the overground part and it stopped operating.

[thaibeachlovers]

Al Jazeera had a bit about it and mentioned -38 degrees C in parts of the US. I don't think that is right though as can't find any site saying that- coldest given is -23 C on Canadian border.

South is a lot warmer than that, though still cold.

Just as well as -38 C is Antarctic temperature and car motors freeze unless fitted with heaters.

 

Some people are strange though- look out the window and say "it's snowing, so a good time to go for a drive" despite not having chains for the wheels, and end up stranded and wasting people's time having to rescue them.

Edited December 25, 2022 by thaibeachlovers

[riclag]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Al Jazeera had a bit about it and mentioned -38 degrees C in parts of the US. I don't think that is right though as can't find any site saying that- coldest given is -23 C on Canadian border.

South is a lot warmer than that, though still cold.

Just as well as -38 C is Antarctic temperature and car motors freeze unless fitted with heaters.

 

Some people are strange though- look out the window and say "it's snowing, so a good time to go for a drive" despite not having chains for the wheels, and end up stranded and wasting people's time having to rescue them.

I seen these temps on weather forecasting sites ( wind chill temps) in some cases .

A natural gas supplier in Wisconsin asked some of their customers to lower their thermostats to 60f  to avoid shut downs, burr.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - We Energies is asking customers to turn down their thermostats Friday immediately after an “equipment failure” limited its ability to provide fuel.

 

Some areas got hit hard with blizzard conditions. Watching the videos makes me happy that I dont have to pick up a shovel or go out side to scrape the ice off the car anymore!

 

https://www.nbc15.com/2022/12/24/we-energies-asking-customers-lower-their-heat-immediately/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2022/photos-winter-storm

Edited December 25, 2022 by riclag

[Scott]

It is certainly cold:

 

Thousands trapped on Pine Ridge burn clothes for warmth in wake of storm

With a twinge of cold in her toes and a tone of concern tinted by exhaustion, Anna Halverson relayed the message: “We’re in a really extreme emergency down here.

 

Winter Storm Diaz blanketed the Pine Ridge Reservation in more than 30 inches of snow – incredible enough on its own – but it was amplified by intense winds that brought the area to a standstill under drifts of snow several feet high.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/thousands-trapped-pine-ridge-burn-023114467.html

[KhunLA]

200 million ... what orifice did they pull that number out of ... ????

 

 

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

200 million ... what orifice did they pull that number out of ... ????

 

 

Just taking a wild guess. suppse they noted what areas of the country were affected by the storm and then used the resources of an arcane and little known entity called the Census Bureau to tally what the population of those area was. I know, I know, I'm just spinning science fiction here. No way that could happen in the real world.

[kwonitoy]

15 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Al Jazeera had a bit about it and mentioned -38 degrees C in parts of the US. I don't think that is right though as can't find any site saying that- coldest given is -23 C on Canadian border.

South is a lot warmer than that, though still cold.

Just as well as -38 C is Antarctic temperature and car motors freeze unless fitted with heaters.

 

Some people are strange though- look out the window and say "it's snowing, so a good time to go for a drive" despite not having chains for the wheels, and end up stranded and wasting people's time having to rescue them.

The cold that is working into the US is a gift from Canada.

They call it an Alberta Clipper, use folks in Alberta call it a Artic Front.

Attached is the temp at my house on Dec 22, and that's the air temp not with a wind chill added, takes your breath away when you walk outside.

The next day with the same temp the feels like was -47C due to a very slight breeze.

Dress for the conditions, it takes less than a minute for flesh to freeze in vulnerable areas at that tem.

My SUV has a block heater, standard equipment here, but it doesn't need to be plugged in due to 0w20 synthetic oil

 

We have had a week of sub -30C weather, and most cities on earth aren't prepared for that extreme cold, we are, happens every year and will probably happen again this winter

Today is Christmas and it's a lovely -15C which feel quite nice after last week

[GinBoy2]

It was the speed of temperature drop that was so freaky.

 

We live in Western South Dakota, and it literally dropped from 2°C to -27°C in 2 hours

 

Then there was the wind. 40mph winds in -27°C is life threatening. We really didn't get that much snow, but the wind just created a total white out, you couldn't see more than a few feet.

I work at the local airport and I watched as the snow and wind moved in, and from being to see the runway to barely being able to see the other side of the ramp. Aircraft tried to land but every single one diverted

 

Yet here we are a few days later and the weather forecast is for 44°F/7°Ç and sunny blue skies.

 

Strange times

[GinBoy2]

22 hours ago, Scott said:

It is certainly cold:

 

Thousands trapped on Pine Ridge burn clothes for warmth in wake of storm

With a twinge of cold in her toes and a tone of concern tinted by exhaustion, Anna Halverson relayed the message: “We’re in a really extreme emergency down here.

 

Winter Storm Diaz blanketed the Pine Ridge Reservation in more than 30 inches of snow – incredible enough on its own – but it was amplified by intense winds that brought the area to a standstill under drifts of snow several feet high.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/thousands-trapped-pine-ridge-burn-023114467.html

I'm trying to be sympathetic here.

 

My co-coworker lives on the rez and was gonna sub for me today

 

Of course they let the sole gas station on the rez run out of of gas.

 

I try to be sympathetic, but it gets to a point where your neighbors seems to be able to cope, so what the Hell is going on 

[Scott]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I'm trying to be sympathetic here.

 

My co-coworker lives on the rez and was gonna sub for me today

 

Of course they let the sole gas station on the rez run out of of gas.

 

I try to be sympathetic, but it gets to a point where your neighbors seems to be able to cope, so what the Hell is going on 

I haven't spent much time on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but I have been through the area.  I suspect it's a combination of things, including not the best planning and then the remoteness of where many people live. 

[Slip]

16 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I'm trying to be sympathetic here.

 

My co-coworker lives on the rez and was gonna sub for me today

 

Of course they let the sole gas station on the rez run out of of gas.

 

I try to be sympathetic, but it gets to a point where your neighbors seems to be able to cope, so what the Hell is going on 

Who are 'they'?  Not your co-worker I presume?

[GinBoy2]

1 minute ago, Scott said:

I haven't spent much time on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but I have been through the area.  I suspect it's a combination of things, including not the best planning and then the remoteness of where many people live. 

It's pretty bleak.

 

I don't get it. The ones that find their way into Rapid City to get away from it all  are great.

 

To quote another co-worker, who his an ex Ranger "I know they are my people, but I hate them"

 

The rez just oozes drugs and addiction.

 

It's bizarre, booze is illegal on the rez so them come into Rapid to get drink. Yet weed is totally legal on the rez. It's totally out of control.

 

So it gets to a totally weird world were we live so close but it's a totally alien. The Native Americans I work with you have moved out will slam it. 

 

Not quite sure how you fix it

[Damrongsak]

Not sure if any low temp records have been broken, but check out the all-time lows.  (These are in Fahrenheit.)  https://www.foxnews.com/us/winter-storm-brings-below-freezing-temperatures-us-these-are-records-they-could-break

 

-80 in Alaska, - 70 in Montana, -45 in California!

 

Where I live it was 50 F one morning and 7 F the next morning.  My brother in Denver Colorado said the temp dropped suddenly on Wednesday.  From the CBS News:  "According to the National Weather Service in Boulder at 3:53 pm it was 42 degrees and by 4:53 pm it was 5 degrees, dropping 37 degrees. Making it the largest one hour temperature drop recorded at Denver International Airport."

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, kwonitoy said:

The cold that is working into the US is a gift from Canada.

They call it an Alberta Clipper, use folks in Alberta call it a Artic Front.

Attached is the temp at my house on Dec 22, and that's the air temp not with a wind chill added, takes your breath away when you walk outside.

The next day with the same temp the feels like was -47C due to a very slight breeze.

Dress for the conditions, it takes less than a minute for flesh to freeze in vulnerable areas at that tem.

My SUV has a block heater, standard equipment here, but it doesn't need to be plugged in due to 0w20 synthetic oil

 

We have had a week of sub -30C weather, and most cities on earth aren't prepared for that extreme cold, we are, happens every year and will probably happen again this winter

Today is Christmas and it's a lovely -15C which feel quite nice after last week

You are making me homesick for Antarctica!

I spent a year there- best year of my life. I guess that oil hadn't been invented then as we always had to plug in the vehicles or leave them running.

[placeholder]

On 12/25/2022 at 9:35 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Al Jazeera had a bit about it and mentioned -38 degrees C in parts of the US. I don't think that is right though as can't find any site saying that- coldest given is -23 C on Canadian border.

South is a lot warmer than that, though still cold.

Just as well as -38 C is Antarctic temperature and car motors freeze unless fitted with heaters.

 

Some people are strange though- look out the window and say "it's snowing, so a good time to go for a drive" despite not having chains for the wheels, and end up stranded and wasting people's time having to rescue them.

It's a pity he put me on ignore. He still has so much to learn from me:

"The western US state of Montana was the worst hit by the cold, with temperatures dropping to -50F (-45C)."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64096509