More than 65 million people in more than two dozen American states are under winter weather alerts due to a powerful, historic monster three-day storm. Severe icing, accumulating snow, gusty winds and extreme cold are the principal threats. More than 700 flights scheduled for Wednesday in the US have been canceled. Major travel disruptions were expected. Some roads were closed. More tham 160,000 homes and businesses in California were without power. “Now is the time to prepare for a COLD AND DANGEROUS winter storm expected for much of the week,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said.
Up to two feet (61 cm) of snow and winds of up to 60 miles (97 km) per hour were expected in some spots from Tuesday through Thursday. South Dakota’s governor announced Tuesday the closures of state government executive branch offices Wednesday in more than half of the state’s 66 counties, with plans for employees to work remotely. Minnesota could see upwards of 2 feet of snow through Friday. The southern and eastern U.S. will enjoy temperatures that could see century-old records fall. Parts of the South may, by contrast, see record high temperatures this week. Orlando, as an example, could hit a record high of 90 degrees (32 C).
