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Videos: Blinding blizzards, freezing rain and cold envelop US amid Christmas
Bomb Cyclone In US: Power outages were still affecting more than 1.7 million homes and businesses, according to the website PowerOutage.
A winter storm left nearly 2 million homes and businesses without power across the United States. Millions more were left to worry about how they would manage amid further outages that have affected their holiday and travel plans. Snow enveloped much of the country knocked out power to 1.7 million households and businesses, AFP reported.
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US' major electricity grid operator warned of rolling blackouts across eastern parts of the country as Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection said power plants are having difficulty operating in the weather, asking residents to refrain from unnecessary use of electricity.
It also asked residents in 13 states to set thermostats lower than usual, to postpone use of major appliances like stoves and dishwashers and to turn off nonessential lights.
“It’ll be short-lived, we’ll do everything we can to prevent it, but it is a real possibility,” Mike Bryson, PJM’s senior vice president for operations, said.
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Power outages were still affecting more than 1.7 million homes and businesses, according to the website PowerOutage, which tracks utility reports. About 60% of the US population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, as temperatures plummeted drastically below normal, the National Weather Service said.
The frigid temperatures and gusty winds were expected to produce “dangerously cold wind chills across much of the central and eastern U.S. this holiday weekend,” the weather service warned, adding that the conditions “will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded.”
“In some areas, being outdoors could lead to frostbite in minutes," it said.
