Last Updated: December 24, 2022, 13:02 IST
People partake in the boiling water challenge in Missoula, Montana (Image: National Weather Service, Missoula/Twitter)
The bomb cyclone has affected two-thirds of the US and people were out participating in boiling water challenge showing the magnitude of the cold weather
People in the US were participating in the viral boiling water challenge as a winter bomb cyclone thrashed two-thirds of the country. Flights remain cancelled, highways remain closed and roads are filled with snow and boiling water is turning into snow in states which are normally temperate.
More than 200 million Americans were put under weather warning and temperatures fell below -55°F, according to data released by the National Weather Service (NWS).
People speaking to the news agency AFP in New York said they were unable to see across the street. People also told the news agencies that they were facing power cuts due to weather conditions and also due to accidents caused by the snow and low visibility.
The biting cold and freezing temperatures are due to the bomb cyclone that has swept the US, which when hits the barometric pressure witnesses a ‘rapid drop’ in a short period of time.
The biting cold has affected the homeless population of the US the most and many groups were out helping those affected by handing them warm clothes and food.
“We’ve been handing out cold weather gear, including coats, hats, gloves, thermal underwear, blankets and sleeping bags, along with hand and foot warmers,” Burke Patten of Night Ministry, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the homeless, hailing from Chicago said.
Media outlets, radio stations and meteorologists pointed out that these were dangerous conditions.
“With these kinds of wind chills, if you’re not wearing those warm layers… unprotected skin can get frostbite in less than five minutes,” Rich Maliawco, lead forecaster for the NWS in Glasgow, Montana, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
There was also concern regarding the desperate migrants in El Paso, Texas, who crossed from Mexico and were found huddled together for warmth in churches, schools and other public spaces.
Rosa Falcon, a resident, told AFP that despite the biting cold some chose to stay outside in -15°F to escape attention from immigration authorities.
In Canada’s Toronto, waves of up to 26 feet (eight metres) have been reported in Lake Erie by meteorologist Kelsey McEwen. In Ohio’s Fairport Harbor, winds averaged 120 kilometres per hour.
At least one person died in Ohio, in a 50-vehicle pile-up caused by the inclement weather. Hundreds of thousands were left in the dark due to power outages, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
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