Regions south of the Rockies experienced severe winter weather at the start of the year as a result of a polar vortex sweeping the country.
Large snow blanketed cities like Washington, D. C., and Louisville, Kentucky, while unique freezes hit southern state, including parts of Florida. Snow and wind created perilous problems, downing trees and making roads impassable.
Five dying
At least five persons died in separate incidents across the United States as a result of the fire of the autumn wind, according to reports from the BBC. Virginia State Police responded to over 430 collapses, leaving more than 20 individuals injured, writes the Associate Press. In Missouri, over 600 vehicles were stranded during the weekends, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Snow documents
Many states recorded ancient snowfall. Topeka, Kansas, saw 14.5 inches ( 37 cm ) of snow, while Kansas City reported 11 inches ( 28 cm ), breaking a record set in 1962. Louisville, Kentucky, recorded 7.7 inches ( 20 cm ), surpassing a 1910 record. Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky Airport faced a similar disruption with 8 inches ( 20 cm ) of snow.
Record-low tempratures
Temperatures plunged across the country, with forecasters warning of lows 12 to 25°F ( 7 to 14°C ) below normal. While the Central Plains experienced also bone-chilling situations, coastal regions in the Northeast recorded temperatures as low as -15°C.
Traveling problems
The warm weather caused major go problems, with over 9, 000 airlines cancelled or delayed from Texas to New York, according to Flightaware. Greater Washington, DC, flights were the worst affected, with 80 % of deviations from National Airport cancelled. The aircraft made runway closures for winter treatment, and while terminals were scheduled to remain empty, runway closures were expected to continue until Tuesday morning.
Bridges, including major roads like I-64 and US Route 41, were even shut down due to snow and snow.
The polar vortex even left over 300, 000 without power in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia, and forced institutions to close in many states, with Maryland declaring a state of emergency and shutting universities and offices.
A polar vortex is a huge area of warm, rotating atmosphere that surrounds both of Earth’s arctic regions. Often confined to the Arctic, it often shifts south, bringing freezing problems to the US. Studies show that the Arctic’s rapidly warming is at least partially to blame for the polar vortex’s increasing speed of extending its grasp.
