World News | 'Life-threatening Cold' Hits Parts of US Following Deadly Weekend Flooding
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Harsh cold descend on the nation's midsection on Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummelled the eastern US with floods, killing at least 13 people.
Bismarck, Feb 18 (AP) Harsh cold descend on the nation's midsection on Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummelled the eastern US with floods, killing at least 13 people.
The National Weather Service warned of "life-threatening cold" as wind chills dropped to minus 51 degrees Celsius in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 46 degrees in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder.
Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek.
Meteorologists had predicted that parts of the US would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are pushing chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the US and Europe.
The death toll in flood-battered Kentucky rose to 11, Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday. Nine of the deaths were flood-related. Two fatal vehicle crashes were connected to the severe weather, he said, and at least 1,000 people stranded by floods had to be rescued.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to six inches of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.
West Virginia had one confirmed flood-related fatality with several people still missing, Governor Patrick Morrisey said on Monday. At least 13 counties were under a state of emergency and some areas were cut off to vehicle traffic.
In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early on Sunday.
Flood warnings were extended on Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.
In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather advisory, a state trooper was killed on Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The trooper's name and further circumstances of the fatality were not immediately released.
Ice and snow made travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon.
Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine's Day and warned drivers to be cautious.
Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Parts of a southwest Detroit neighbourhood were submerged after a nearly century-old water main burst, flooding streets, sidewalks and yards under several feet of water.
Firefighters used a ladder to help one person from the roof of a car in waist-deep water and a bulldozer was used to navigate a flooded street and help people leave a home, according to the fire department.
The 54-inch transmission main was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Crews were attempting to isolate the break. It was not clear what caused it but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing.
No injuries have been reported. Mayor Mike Duggan says people impacted by the flooding can shelter in place if they have power and feel safe. Those who want to leave can call 911 and fire crews will help them from their homes and take them to a temporary shelter.
This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record lows in some areas, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Anglin in Bismarck.
Due to the frigid conditions and a "lack of adequate heating fuel", North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong waived hours-of-service requirements for commercial-vehicle drivers hauling propane and petroleum products. The waiver is for 30 days.
The cold snap in North Dakota was expected to reduce oil production by about 5 per cent, or about 50,000 to 80,000 barrels a day -- pretty typical for such conditions, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. It takes about a week once temperatures warm up for volumes to rebound, he said.
Death can happen in minutes for animals in such cold, said Julie Schirado, a founder of the Bismarck-based Furry Friends Rockin' Rescue animal shelter. The shelter works with other rescues, and uses floor kennels, heated garages and basements to house animals, she said.
"We see death a lot but when the cold temperatures hit, then it's jumped up some more. We lose kittens, puppies that are out in this weather ... Frostbite can be wicked," Schirado said.
At the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, which closed last weekend due to cold, critters such as bison, elk and bighorn sheep don't mind the temperatures as they munch food to stay warm and have shelters to enter, Director Terry Lincoln said.
Lincoln, who lives at the zoo, said he walked to his office on Monday morning "and I had an ice-cream headache halfway there. You know it's cold when you have an ice cream headache without eating ice cream". (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)