Report by Yashasvi Anika Tandon
A massive bomb cyclone (a fierce, mid-latitude storm that becomes stronger day by day, bringing snow winds, ice and floods with it) struck the USA 24th December, 2022 covering America in blankets of snow. The storm built up near the Great Lakes region.
The storm has caused major disturbance in many ways :
1. There is no electricity starting from Maine to Seattle. 20,00,000 people have been deprived of electricity.
2. The usual temperature in the USA, during December, is -1 degrees Celsius. Right now, it has reached -4 degrees Celsius. In some areas the temperature is as low as -45 degrees Celsius.
3. 430 people have been trapped in their homes.
4. 2,360 domestic and international flights have been cancelled.
5. The wind speed is 35 mph (56 km/h) or more.
6. Buffalo in New York is one of the worst hit cities. It is facing whiteout conditions (a condition where visibility becomes extremely poor), with everyday hurricane-force winds and snow.
7. Emergency response is also slow, with fire trucks trapped in snow and a single ambulance taking 3 hours to pick and drop one patient.
8. In the north-eastern part of New England, coastal flooding has been recorded.
9. The blizzard is so severe that it has been named the ‘blizzard of the century’.
10. There has been 30 to 40 inches (0.75 to 1 meter) of snowfall. The National Weather Service, USA has predicted that snowfall will increase by 14 inches in the coming days.
11. This is the fiercest storm the USA has seen after the1977 storm in Buffalo.
12. There is an 8ft (2.4 meters) drift of snow almost everywhere.
13. 48 states have suffered due to the storm.
14. One of the busiest highways of the USA, Interstate 70 Highway, is blocked too.
15. Although safety measures are being taken, people have been advised to stay indoors.
