A winter storm caused a power outage in California, shutting down the interstate highway from Arizona to Wyoming. In this state, almost all roads were affected. This natural disaster will not end in a few days, reports the Associated Press. A sharp drop in air temperatures was forecast in the mid-Atlantic states, with some locations expected to drop to 30 degrees below normal.
Schools in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin were closed. South Dakota Governor Christy Noem has closed state executive offices in several regions and employees have been working remotely. At least 2,770 US flights had been canceled or delayed as of mid-afternoon Wednesday, according to the FlightAware online flight tracking system.
In the northern United States, a region accustomed to winter storms, the snowfall could be historic. Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin could receive up to 51 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. According to the meteorological service, from October 31 to November 3, 1991, the greatest snowfall in the history of these states was observed, when the thickness of the snow reached 72 centimeters. Most of the snowfall is expected in east-central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, the weather service said in a statement cited by NBC News. “Snowplow crews will be working across the state, but this storm could be crazy,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a statement.
As the northern US faces a blast of winter, the mid-Atlantic and Southeast could experience record heat. “We could see all-time highs set everywhere from Pittsburgh to Fort Myers in Florida in the south,” National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira said. Highs in the Southeast may reach those of the mid-1980s. “These highs on Thursday will be especially anomalous for the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, where temperatures will be more than 40 degrees warmer than average and they will typically see in June than February,” the US Weather Service said in a statement. In Orlando, Florida, temperatures could reach 32 degrees, possibly surpassing the record set in 2003.
