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Dec. 23 (UPI) — Multiple people have died in weather-related deaths from a historic winter storm that has knocked out power for more than 1 million people across the United States.
At least nine people have died throughout the United States, after a man was found dead Friday in Memphis, NBC News reported. Weather-related deaths also have been reported in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri and Wisconsin.
More than 200 million people, or around 60% of the U.S. population, are currently under some form of weather warning or advisory.
“In addition to the very cold temperatures, high winds in the wake of the front will produce dangerous wind chill readings across nearly all of the central to eastern U.S.,” the weather service said in a bulletin.
AccuWeather meteorologists predict the storm will bring lake-effect snow and life-threatening conditions over the weekend as it pushes past the Upper Midwest.
“In Buffalo, [N.Y.], this storm will likely at least jump near the top of the list of worst blizzards in the city’s history, if not even becoming the worst,” AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Sojda said. “Four to 6 feet of snow will fall by Sunday and coupled with wind gusts approaching hurricane force [74 mph or greater] to create enormous drifts and impossible travel.”
Erie County, New York, issued a travel ban Friday morning as strong winds and the winter weather caused road conditions to deteriorate rapidly.
In North Carolina, nearly 200,000 people are left in the dark, according to poweroutage.us. More than 145,000 outages were reported in Virginia and over 143,000 in Tennessee just after 1:30 p.m. EST.
Many airports in the northern part of the country have reported widespread flight cancellations. Alaska Airlines and Allegiant Air, canceled more than one-third of their flights on Friday. More than 400 Southwest Airlines flights were delayed. The Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet and its subsidiary Swoop reported the highest proportions of cancellations: 55% and 72%, respectively.
Logan Airport in Boston reported that 25% of its outbound flights were canceled, and La Guardia Airport was seeing one-third of departures scratched.
The storm comes as travel volume had been expected to get back to near pre-pandemic levels. In mid-December, AAA predicted that nearly 7.2 million Americans would fly between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, and that another 102 million would drive at least 50 miles for the holidays.
AccuWeather meteorologists expect the weather to turn around, with a major shift in the jet stream brining warmer temperatures by the end of the year.
The Rockies, Great Plains and Mississippi Valley are expected to see the fastest warmup, with Denver seeing temperatures rise into the 50s by Christmas Day after plummeting to 24 below zero on Thursday. Denver’s high could reach 60 on Tuesday, significantly above normal highs in the mid-40s.
The South-Central and Southeastern states could see more rounds of severe weather as temperatures rise.
“As a warm and moist air flow begins from the Gulf of Mexico and jet stream energy arrives from the Rockies, there may be one or more rounds of heavy, gusty to severe thunderstorms that develop near the Gulf coast to the southern Plains and or the lower Mississippi Valley later next week,” AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Bauer said.
