Freeze On The Way After US ‘Snowmageddon’
Current World News Comments (0)
12:25pm UK, Sunday February 07, 2010
Adam Arnold,
Sky News Online
Millions of Americans are bracing themselves for freezing temperatures and more snow after the heaviest snowfalls in decades hit the east coast.
To view this content you need Flash and Javascript enabled in your browser.
Please download Flash from the Adobe download website.
Around 2ft (half a metre) of snow came down over Washington DC on Saturday and more than 230,000 homes were left without power in the capital.
At least two people were killed in the blizzard conditions, as many flights and train services were cancelled and roads were described as treacherous.
President Barack Obama described the wintry onslaught as “Snowmageddon” – it has been the worst snow in Washington for 90 years.
Sky’s Keith Graves said: “The meteorologists describe the conditions as a bomb – their word for a rare combination of snow, wind and temperature that has dumped 4ft of snow on some outline areas and 2ft-3ft on the city centre.
“What’s surprising is that there was plenty of warning for this. It’s an indication of the ferocity of the storm that despite that warning, the elements are winning.”
People try to clear away snow in Washington DC
The snow storm stretched more than 600 miles from eastern Indiana across into New Jersey and then down as far south as North Carolina, affecting tens of millions of people.
The public were being advised to stay indoors and drivers were warned to keep off the roads.
The snow was up to 38 inches (one metre) deep in the region when the flakes stopped falling after more than 24 hours.
Further snowfalls are forecast to hit the area on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Revellers enjoy a snowball fight in the US capital
Virginia state police reported two people were killed in the state when they were struck by a tractor-trailer after stopping to help a stranded motorist.
Most flights were cancelled on Saturday at the Washington-Baltimore area’s three main airports and at Philadelphia International Airport.
At Dulles Airport outside Washington, part of the roof of a jet hangar collapsed under the weight of snow but no-one was injured.
Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia each declared snow emergencies, allowing them to activate emergency agencies, including the National Guard, to help deal with the wintry onslaught.
Forecasters said chilly temperatures would mean the snow would swiftly turn icy.
The White House under a blanket of snow
admin @ February 7, 2010