Delivery times 2024-01-16 04:36
Over 5,000 flights were canceled or delayed… A series of traffic accidents on icy roads
Power outage for more than 150,000 families… Natural gas production collapses, leading to supply shortages
The “Arctic cold wave” hits the United States
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(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Mina Lim = The “Arctic cold wave” and winter storms that have hit the entire United States have caused serious disruptions in flight operations and numerous traffic accidents on the roads.
Many state governments and transportation and energy authorities in the United States have declared states of emergency and prepared emergency measures.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) on the 15th (local time), bitter cold continues in Montana and North and South Dakota, with temperatures feeling as low as -46 degrees Celsius (-50 degrees Fahrenheit).
In a statement, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety urged residents to stay indoors, warning that “it takes only a few minutes to develop frostbite.”
In Iowa, where the first caucus of presidential candidates of the US Republican Party is being held, the perceived temperature on this day is expected to drop to -34 degrees Celsius (-30 degrees Fahrenheit).
CNN reported that temperatures in about 79% of the United States, including these regions, have fallen below freezing and that about 140 million people in the United States are under cold snap alerts, advisories and warnings.
With strong winds and snowstorms blowing in many places, transportation is difficult on both land and air routes.
According to flight information site FlightAware, 1,916 U.S. flights were canceled and 3,745 were delayed this morning.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation issued a warning that roads in 30 counties were covered in ice.
Arctic cold wave hits Iowa, United States
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From the previous day to this morning, a total of 5 to 10 cm of snow fell in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kentucky, and up to 2.5 cm of sleet on the roads in the southern region from Texas to Mississippi. Road conditions are worsening as sleet freezes in sub-freezing temperatures.
Mississippi state representative Dan Eubanks posted on social media the evening before that his vehicle had been involved in a six-vehicle collision due to thin ice on the road.
One person was killed and another injured in Arkansas when a pickup truck went off a snow-covered highway and crashed into a tree.
As the Arctic cold wave descends on the Southern United States, it is reported that residents of the South, who have never experienced much cold before, are experiencing difficulties due to a lack of heating equipment.
According to the New York Times, a Walmart employee in Mississippi posted on Facebook: “If you are thinking of coming to Walmart to buy a stove, please don’t come. There were some on the shelf, but they are all sold out and there are no These are heated blankets. We will let you know when the product arrives.” I posted this.
The state of Arkansas had declared a cold wave emergency the previous day.
According to the NWS, records for lowest temperature and snowfall were broken in several Arkansas cities the previous day, with the lowest temperature in North Little Rock hitting -13 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of – 12 degrees Celsius established in 1979.
Snow piled up on a basketball court in Iowa, USA
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While the demand for heating increases due to the extreme cold, the energy situation is also in serious difficulty.
According to poweroutage.com, a power outage statistics site, there are currently approximately 100,000 households in Oregon (including commercial facilities), 28,000 households in Texas, 11,000 households in Pennsylvania, 10,000 households in Michigan and 6,000 households in Wisconsin. the back was cut off.
In Texas, which suffered significant damage from winter storms and large-scale power outages in 2021, the Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT), which manages the power grid, issued a Conservation Appeal notice today.
“Due to consistently below freezing temperatures and record demand, operational energy reserves are expected to be low,” ERCOT said. “We ask Texas businesses and residents to conserve electricity when it is safe to do so.”
Reuters reported that natural gas production in the United States fell to its lowest level in 11 months as oil wells froze in the cold snap.
According to financial information firm LSEG, U.S. gas supply is estimated to decline by about 9.6 bcfd (1 billion cubic feet) per day from the 8th to the 14th, reaching 98.6 bcfd, the lowest in 11 months.
However, Reuters reported that this decrease is small compared to the 19.6 bcfd during winter storm “Elliot” in December 2022 or the 20.4 bcfd during the cold snap in February 2021.
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2024/01/16 04:36 Posted
2024-01-15 19:36:16
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