US winter storm: at least 15 people dead and 800,000 without power

"The powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the US over the weekend has been linked to at least 15 deaths. The deaths have been reported from Texas to New England as many parts of the country grappled with heavy snow, ice and dangerous cold. In Texas, authorities in Frisco said that a 16-year-old died in sledding accident, while in the Austin area, a person was found dead from apparent hypothermia."

"As of Monday morning, more than 200 million people from Texas to New England were under cold alerts, with forecasters warning that bitter cold could persist through the week in many regions. The National Weather Service (NWS) said that frigid air would spread across the eastern two-thirds of the county in the coming days, with widespread sub-zero lows and record cold expected. The agency said that dangerous wind chills would persist, and much below-normal temperatures may continue into early February."

"More than 800,000 people were without power nationwide on Monday morning, including more than 250,000 in Tennessee, about 157,000 in Mississippi and roughly 125,000 in Louisiana. Officials in parts of Mississippi have described the damage caused by the storm as extensive, saying that additional crews have been brought in to speed up the tree removal and clearing and to help with restoration of replacing poles and lines. Travel was heavily disrupted over the weekend, with more than 10,500 US flights cancelled on Sunday."

A powerful winter storm produced heavy snow, ice and dangerous cold across much of the United States and has been linked to at least 15 deaths from Texas to New England. Reported fatalities included sledding accidents, hypothermia cases, a woman struck by a snow plow, multiple outdoor deaths in New York City, and other weather-related deaths. More than 200 million people were under cold alerts as frigid air and dangerous wind chills spread across the eastern two-thirds of the country. Over 800,000 customers lost power, significant damage occurred in parts of Mississippi, and travel was heavily disrupted with thousands of flight cancellations.

Read at www.theguardian.com