US and Canada Winter Storm

Winter Storm Affects Millions in US and Canada

A massive winter storm has affected 250 million people in the United States and Canada, resulting in at least 19 deaths and widespread power outages. Over 1.5 million people have lost power and thousands of flights have been cancelled since Thursday. The storm stretches for more than 2,000 miles from Texas to Quebec, and has brought blizzard conditions to the Great Lakes region on the US-Canada border. Near white-out conditions have been reported in several states and provinces, including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Buffalo, New York. In Canada, Ontario and Quebec have been hit hardest, with hundreds of thousands of people losing power. The rest of the country, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, is also experiencing extreme cold and winter storm warnings.

Temperatures in some areas have dropped to extreme lows, with Elk Park, Montana experiencing -50F (-45C) and the town of Hell, Michigan freezing over. In South Dakota, Native Americans were forced to burn clothes for warmth after running out of fuel. Heavy snowfall is expected in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and over eight million people remain under blizzard warnings according to the US National Weather Service. Coastal flooding has also been seen in New England, New York, and New Jersey, resulting in flooded communities and damaged power lines.