The deep freeze affecting millions of people across the US is continuing this weekend, as bitterly frigid air spilled into the midwest from Canada amid high winds that could make it feel like -30F (-34C) outside in some areas.
The list of severe weather events was growing as the US struggled with the intense cold and news reports said at least 55 people across 10 states had been killed in weather-related incidents over the past week or so since the cold snap hit.
In Memphis, Tennessee, residents were urged to boil water and New Yorkers warned that roads could be covered with dangerous black ice this weekend as brutal cold and inclement weather continue to sweep across parts of the US.
Heavier-than-forecast snow fell in New York City, Baltimore and Washington DC on Friday. Storms have walloped the Pacific north-west, midwest, plains, south and north-east with low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms, freezing rain and high winds for the past two weeks.
A potential thaw isn’t expected until next week, when the forecast calls for above-average temperatures across most of the country, according to the National Weather Service.
The bracing weekend weather follows a series of storms blamed for at least 55 deaths around the country, many of them involving hypothermia or road accidents.
Tennessee alone recorded 19 deaths. They included a 25-year-old man who was found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg after a space heater overturned and turned off, said Bob Johnson, chief deputy for the Marshall county sheriff’s office.
Days of cold broke so many water mains in Memphis that water pressure fell throughout the city. On Friday, Memphis Light, Gas and Water urged all of its more than 400,000 customers to boil water for drinking or teeth-brushing or use bottled supplies. Water systems in about 10 counties had issued boil-water advisories.
A significant drop in blood donations, partly linked to the weather, led Chattanooga-based Blood Assurance to recommend that more than 70 hospitals in five states halt elective surgeries until Wednesday to allow inventory to be restocked.
In West Virginia, advisories and warnings were out on Saturday because of continued fierce weather. The weather service said some regions could see up to 4in (10cm) of additional snow with winds gusting to 40 mph (64 kph) and wind chill driving down temperatures as low as -20F (-29C).
The West Virginia legislature left after a brief session Friday because not enough lawmakers could get through snow-covered highways to the Capitol to vote on bills.
In Washington DC, snow fell softly and the streets around the US Capitol were silent. Schools closed for the second time in a week and the federal government was on a two-hour delay.
On the west coast, the Oregon governor, Tina Kotek, declared a statewide emergency on Thursday following deadly ice storms. The weather service reported that temperatures Friday were finally above freezing for most areas and ground snow and ice would slowly begin to melt.
More freezing rain was forecast on Saturday in the Columbia River Gorge and the area was expected to remain near or below freezing through at least Sunday night. Trees and power lines already coated with ice could topple if they get more, the National Weather Service warned.
“Stay safe out there over the next several days as our region tries to thaw out,” the weather service said. “Chunks of falling ice will remain a hazard as well.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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