Washington: The death toll from powerful winter storms in the central and eastern United States has risen to at least 14, officials reported, following severe floods, gale-force winds, and extremely cold temperatures that swept across the region.
According to Lao News Agency, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned of a winter storm system carrying arctic air that would cause “record cold,” with wind chill expected to plummet to as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit (-51 degrees Celsius) in Montana and North Dakota.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced via social media that the death toll in Kentucky has risen to 12, an increase from eight reported the previous day. Most casualties in the state occurred when individuals were trapped in their vehicles by rapidly rising floodwaters, including a mother and her child.
In West Virginia, Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed at least one fatality due to the weather and warned of expected further flooding. “We have one confirmed fatality at this time,” he stated during a press briefing, adding that several people remain missing.
In Atlanta, Georgia, one person died when a large tree fell on his house early Sunday, as reported by fire official Scott Powell to local media.
Governor Beshear urged residents to avoid traveling on roads, as both local and federal authorities declared a state of emergency. Over 1,000 people have been rescued by first responders in the past 24 hours.
The NWS advisory indicated that the cold weather system would affect a vast area, causing temperatures to drop significantly in the central plains, the eastern seaboard, and extending as far south as the Gulf coast. “A bitter cold arctic airmass is expected to continue impacting the north-central US while also spreading further south and east over the next few days,” the advisory stated.
As of Monday, power had been restored to thousands of homes, but more than 50,000 customers remained without electricity in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, according to the monitoring website poweroutage.us.
