The winter storm that hit the United States on Thursday - which was set to develop into ‘Bomb Cyclone’ - led to dropping of temperature to as low as minus 40 Degrees Celsius. Over 5,000 flights in the US - scheduled for Thursday and Friday - were cancelled due to the storm at one of the busiest times of the year as revellers are soaked in Christmas spirit. According to the National Weather Service, the federal government agency tasked with providing weather forecast, the cyclone can cause snowfall of up to a half inch (1.25 cm) per hour and reduce visibility drastically.
Storm videos flooded Twitter. "It's a bit brisk, but really serene on the Big Four Bridge tonight as snow moves into Louisville (sic)," one of the users said who shared the video of Big Four Bridge in Louisville.
A Twitter account posted a series of storm videos showing snow-covered roads and vehicles. Another user shared the storm video and described the bomb cyclone as a "historic storm". "Ground blizzard conditions filmed by highway patrol as a large and historic winter storm Polar Express rapidly intensifies." The videos could not be independently verified by HT.
The NWS report also stated that a large number of states - from Washington state to Florida - were under wind-chill alerts, blizzard warnings, or other winter weather advisories by late Thursday, affecting more than 200 million people, or roughly 60 per cent of the US population.
{{/usCountry}}The NWS report also stated that a large number of states - from Washington state to Florida - were under wind-chill alerts, blizzard warnings, or other winter weather advisories by late Thursday, affecting more than 200 million people, or roughly 60 per cent of the US population.
{{/usCountry}}According to the weather office, the current storm will continue to trigger strong winds, and life-threatening wind chills through Saturday. It also advised those planning to travel in these conditions to use extreme caution and pay close attention to updates.
(With Reuters inputs)