Winter storm Elliott – latest: Driving ban lifted in Buffalo as blizzard deaths hit 38
Buffalo region worst affected in US with at least 38 deaths after blizzard dumped 50 inches of snow on city
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One of the coldest Christmases in modern memory has left more than 60 people dead across the US, with 38 people killed in and around the city of Buffalo, which was hammered by over 50 inches of snow.
Nearly a week after the extreme blizzard, the driving ban in Buffalo was lifted on Thursday, although motorists have been advised to be careful around snow-removal equipment and at intersections.
“Hundreds of very large pieces of equipment will still be out clearing streets from curb-to-curb,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz warned in a tweet.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Poloncarz confirmed three additional deaths, marking the deadliest storm in western New York in at least two generations.
National Guard went door to door conducting welfare checks in neighbourhoods that lost electricity. As the city continues to dig out of the storm, the death toll is expected to climb further.
Beyond New York state, winter storm Elliott’s icy bite also saw temperatures plunge to record lows in parts of Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, and wrought havoc on Christmas travel plans.
Postal carriers warn of delayed holiday packages
As icy weathers shutter transit facilities across the country, FedEx and UPS are warning that holiday packages may arrive late this week, CNBC reports.
“FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at our Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to severe winter weather that has been moving across the United States,” FedEx said on Friday in a statement.
UPS added that the winter chaos disrupted operations “across several regions of the U.S. are impacting the UPS Air and Ground network, including UPS hubs in Louisville, Kentucky and Rockford, Illinois.”
Freezing rain pelts Washington
Frozen rain smashed into parts of Washington state on Friday, as cold weather swept across much of the United States throughout the week.
Officials in the Puget Sound region have asked the public to stay off roads and delay non-essential travel, KOMO reports, while power lines weighed down with ice have begun to cause energy outages.
The frozen rain also temporarily delayed operations at Seattle’s SeaTac airport.
Freezing weather threatens hundreds of migrants in states like Texas
Migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border are one of the communities at particular risk of this week’s freezing temperatures.
Cities like El Paso are scrambling to open emergency shelters, though migrants say that shelters like the city’s 1,000-cot emergency facility are only open to those who have certain paperwork obtained by turning themselves in to the Border Patrol.
“We’re not permitted inside the shelter because we crossed without permission,” a Venezuelan migrant named Adda told NPR, who traveled to the US with her pregnant daughter.
“We went to ask if we could stay in the shelter because my daughter is pregnant,” Adda continued. “But they told us no, not without a permit.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has continued to argue that the crisis is because the Biden administration has sought to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy turning away most asylum-seekers on dubious pandemic grounds before they could enter the US, even though research shows the policy has done little to stop repeat crossings.
Videos capture storm surge, 60mph winds, and whiteout across the country
Extreme winter weather is blasting large parts of the United States, from Indiana to coastal New York
Here are some of the wildest videos of what’s been happening, including storm surge and 60pmh winds near Buffalo, New York, and an icy whiteout in Burns Harbor, Indiana.
Long lines and delays reported from Florida to Michigan as weather pounds airports
Inclement weather is causing delays and long lines at airports across the country.
In Florida, as of noon, over 200 flights were delayed and 36 were canceled at Miami International Airport.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of flights have been canceled so we’re a little nervous about getting home,” traveler Galaxina Wright told CBS News.
Reporters in Detroit noted numerous delayed passengers there as well.
Warming trend expected for coming days in southern US, NWS reports
Warm weather is set on average to return by milder temperatures throughout next week in the Texas region, according to the National Weather Service.
The mercury could climb back to the 60s and 70s on average by next Thursday, the agency said.
More than 8,000 flights have been delayed today amid winter weather
Numerous flights have been delayed or canceled today because of scary winter weather.
All together, 8,425 US flights have been delayed and 5,125 have been canceled as of Friday evening, according to data-tracking site Flight Aware.
New York governor warns of ‘epic’ storm
New York, especially upstate, is no stronger to big snowfalls, but this week’s weather has astounded local officials.
On Friday, governor Kathy Hochul warned residents about the “epic” weather that’s been heading their way.
“I called it a kitchen sink storm because it is throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink,” she said, CNN reports. “We’ve had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures, and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend.”
At least 8 people have died from winter weather this week
The death toll because of this week’s extreme weather continues to rise.
At least eight people have died because of the storm sweeping across the country, in states including Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin, NBC reports.
The fatalities were a combination of auto wrecks and people being exposed to the elements directly.
One dead after massive 50-care pileup on Ohio turnpike
One person was killed and multiple others injured in a huge 50-vehicle crash in Ohio, according to officials.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says that the crash happened in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike in Sandusky County on Friday morning.
Officials say that buses were used to collect and take people from the scene of the accident to a nearby facility to keep them warm in freezing temperatures.
No details have been released on the cause of the crash or of the person killed in the accident.
But officials say that the initial crashes began at around 11.45am, with two people injured in a five-car crash.
Graeme Massie has the full story.
One dead after massive 50-care pileup on Ohio turnpike
Accident happened in eastbound lanes of turnpike in Sandusky County during frigid weather
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