Although it is winter and snow and cold weather is to be expected, the storms that are hitting the country are anything but normal.
Record cold temps, record snowfall, as well as severe travel complications make this winter, a season that millions of people will be happy to see come to an end.
The most recent storm that hit the Midwest Tuesday night affected more than 100 million Americans and left them dealing with up to 10 inches on top of the existing ice and snow from the last storm. And this same storm is heading to the already burdened Northeast on Wed.
It’s obvious that the Midwest is having difficulty managing all of the massive snowfall. The governor of Kansas declared a state of emergency due to Tuesday’s storm, and ABC News reported that Missouri crews just couldn’t keep up with the rapid snowfall. By afternoon, state officials were strongly suggesting that people just “stay home”. As much as 8 inches was predicted for the northern part of the state.
Across Indiana and Illinois Tuesday night, snow was falling at the astounding rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.
And another, bigger storm may be just days behind it.
And as if the southern U.S. could handle anymore crazy weather, Arkansas saw ice that caused spinouts and damaged power lines, leaving 40,000 people without power on Tuesday afternoon.
In the East, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the New York City region that continues until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Predictions are for 4 to 8 inches of snow and a quarter of an inch of ice.
Massachusetts and the surrounding areas are also in the path of this heavy snowfall.
Because of the massive storms that have repeatedly hit these areas is causing shortages of necessary supplies, as officials in 12 states have reported severe shortages of salt for the roads, which is used to ease the driving conditions in heavy snow and ice.
Airlines have had to cancel more than 1,500 flights on Tuesday, bringing the total for the last two days to more than 3,600, and that number doesn’t include delayed flights.
And it’s not over yet.
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