Three people died in traffic accidents caused by a severe winter storm in the US state of Kansas. The cause was snow and ice on the roads, police said yesterday (local time), according to a report in the newspaper “USA Today”. In view of the low temperatures, the road condition in many places is still very poor.
This is likely to be difficult for many people who want to travel to their families for Christmas. According to media reports, thousands of flights were cancelled. Chicago and Detroit airports are among the most important hubs in the country, where heavy snowfall is expected. Strong winds, rain and ice could also affect highways and airports in the East Coast metropolises of Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
It sometimes gets so cold that it risks freezing within minutes, officials have warned. There is some kind of weather alert for about 180 million people. The North and Midwest of the country are particularly affected, but so is the US South. An extreme frost warning was issued for the states of Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. “Life-threatening” temperatures with strong winds are expected in some parts of the country.