Bomb cyclone: Christmas celebrations in US hit by extreme cold, massive blackouts; 13 dead

Millions of people in the United States are experiencing bone-chilling cold, blizzards and blackouts. Massive winter storm has hit Christmas plans, leaving at least 13 people dead. Holiday events have been cancelled with around 60 percent of the US impacted by the ‘bomb’ cyclone. 

Power outages have left 1.4 million businesses and homes in the dark on Christmas eve. 200 million people will celebrate the major festival under some type of weather advisory or warning. Several cities are implementing “rolling blackouts” in order to conserve electricity amid extreme winter conditions. 

Thousands of Christmas travellers were left stranded on US airports as over 4,500 flights were cancelled on Friday. The storm stretches from border to border across the vast country. 

A bomb cyclone has hit the US. This is a phenomenon where atmospheric pressure drops very quickly during a strong storm. This bomb cyclone developed near the Great Lakes and triggered chilly winds, snow and blizzard conditions. The storm also led to road accidents in some states including multiple car pile-ups.

The massive storm has also impacted Canada as all flights at Toronto were also cancelled on Friday. The conditions even stretch towards the southern US border with Mexico. New York was under a state of emergency with millions trapped as temperatures dipped to -45 degrees Celsius.

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(With inputs from PTI)