Tremendous blizzard and "total whiteness"!; Ice storm with incredible -34°C and lots, lots of snow PHOTO/VIDEO

In the northern plains and parts of the upper Midwest, including Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota, the National Weather Service has issued warnings for blizzard conditions and “total whiteness,” making travel nearly impossible on certain roads, reports the AP.

 

 

 

In parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, extremely strong winds further worsened conditions, creating a wind chill effect as low as -34°C.

In the Great Lakes region, the storm brought heavy snowfall.

In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, between 48 and 61 centimeters of snow fell, and meteorologists have warned that additional, though lighter, snowfall is expected in the coming days.

 

 

Strong winds and the so-called lake-effect snow also affected parts of New York, Ohio, and Michigan, with gusts locally reaching up to 120 km/h.

In the northeastern U.S., including parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, ice storms and mixed winter precipitation were recorded, posing additional risks to power infrastructure and trees.

In the southern U.S., meteorologists warned of severe thunderstorms, signaling the advance of a cold front.

Strong tornado in Illinois

In Tazewell County, Illinois, a moderately strong EF1 tornado with winds up to approximately 160 km/h damaged buildings and knocked down trees and power lines.

On the West Coast, in Southern California, moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were forecast for the Los Angeles and Ventura areas, increasing the risk of trees falling due to saturated soil.

Warning of new storms

Meteorologists also warned of additional storms later in the week that could bring heavy precipitation, including rain on New Year’s Day.

Across the country, more than 350,000 households were left without power, while air travel saw over 3,500 delays and more than 600 flight cancellations.

Meteorologists note that the storm could intensify further as it moves eastward, due to the collision of cold air from the north with unusually warm air over the southern U.S.