Snow and ice in the United States with winter storm forecast nationwide

As snow and ice continued to wreak havoc across the United States on Saturday afternoon, more than 700,000 people were without electricity, and authorities in states including Texas and Virginia warned residents to stay off the roads as much as possible. The National Weather Forecast Center of the Meteorological Service said a report of winter weather Saturday from coast to coast. It can last until Tuesday. “A very active winter weekend in large parts of the United States is witnessing fears of very cold temperatures, heavy snow and ice,” the Meteorological Organization said on Twitter. “Coast to Coast from the Pacific Northwest to the Mid-Atlantic, a host of winter weather headlines are in effect. Stay safe!” Across eight states – including Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia – more than 700,000 people were without electricity on Saturday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us. Ice storm warnings have been in effect in parts of Oregon, Maryland and Virginia, where ice accumulations can reach a quarter to half an inch, the NWS said. “Power cuts and damage to trees due to snow are expected. Travel could be nearly impossible. A spokeswoman for BGE, one of the airlines, said that the forecast set of ice, snow and ice already on the trees would lead to a very dangerous situation.” The interruptions extend to the northwest for some throughout the weekend. Major electricity providers in the region, as many snow-heavy trees in Oregon fell under the weight of winter, fell on power lines and caused some transformers to explode in blue and orange rain. By Saturday noon, more than 1,200 BGE power lines had failed, Lattaner said, and Kate Brown wrote on Twitter: “The weather that came from yesterday and lasted all night has left massive damage with hundreds of thousands of Oregonians without power.” Las Vegas declared that it had declared a state of emergency throughout the Portland area in the Willamette Valley, and was dealing with another weather event on Saturday afternoon: The NWS issued a severe thunderstorm warning in the Clark County area, warning of possible winds of up to 70 miles at An hour, a pea-sized chill and a puff of dust. Multiple power outages have been reported across the region. In Nashville, icy roads caused a traffic accumulation of 21 vehicles and caused at least 12 minor injuries on Highway 24 Saturday morning, according to the Nashville Metro Police Department. Claudia Aracas, 22, was taking her cat to the vet when she slapped on breaks, but her car didn’t stop. “I didn’t have much control, but I got my feet off the gas and tried to do my best I can’t even tell you how I managed to get out,” said Aracas. “I was watching the cars crashing in front of me, while I was maneuvering too – oh my God, it was just crazy.” The Nashville Fire Department, which has sent at least 15 emergency vehicles to a pile, said many motorists have been taken to local hospitals. Despite the tense and seemingly life-threatening scene, authorities have not reported any deaths. The harsh winter weather shows no signs of calm: Snow, ice and biting cold continue from coast to coast, and the United States is experiencing one of the busiest winter weather patterns, ”said meteorologists Friday. A very cold air mass in the Arctic that spreads across most of the country is causing the Winter storms are fueling across the country Heavy snow and ice hit the Pacific Northwest earlier on Saturday, and parts of the plains, the south and the central Atlantic are expected to see more snow and freezing rain early next week. A major winter storm is expected to develop Over the southern plains from Sunday to Monday with expected snow and freezing rain, NWS reported. Texas and parts of the south could see record cold weather over the next few days. Parts of Texas Saturday morning experienced “thunderstorms,” ​​the NWS reported, warning that Freezing rain and sleet are expected.According to Weather.com, the upcoming storm will result in much worse weather conditions than seen early Thursday morning in Texas, when it was dead. Of at least six people and another 65 people were admitted to hospital – including frontline health care workers who just came out of their shifts. . A Fort Worth nurse, Rebecca Benson, crawled out of her wrecked car and walked one mile in freezing weather to get to work to finish a shift, according to local news outlets. In Austin, Texas, first responders faced hundreds of additional emergency calls. It’s normal in recent days, according to local KXAN-TV. “Yes, it’s cool!” The Austin Fire Department wrote on Twitter on Friday. “The roads are wet and slippery, and let’s be honest – we Texans are not great at driving under these conditions. So if you can stay home please do it!” The Texas and Virginia transportation departments have issued similar calls. The Texas Department of Transportation said on Twitter late Friday: “Please, please, stay home if possible. If you must drive, reduce your speed and increase the following distance. Please #StayHome today. ” Saturday. “We are dealing with slippery spots as best we can, but conditions are expected to get worse.” Other parts of the United States are seeing cooler temperatures. In Billings, Montana, the NWS said on Twitter late Friday that the area had spent 132 hours below zero and was expected to experience nearly three more days of freezing temperatures. “These are too many hours, below 0 degrees,” the agency said. Contribution: Elinor Aspgreen, USA Today, Brett Kellman, Nashville Tennessee