FLASH
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An extreme winter storm has hit the United States, putting about 40 states on alert. Temperatures in New York dropped to -23 degrees Celsius and in the Northern Plains fell below -46°C. According to forecasts, the phenomena are expected to affect up to 150 million people by Sunday.
Heavy snowfall has already been recorded in northwest Texas and Oklahoma, where about 24,000 homes were left without power due to severe weather conditions. In Chicago, temperatures have dropped to -27 degrees Celsius, raising concerns about the safety of residents.
At least 12 states have declared states of emergency by governors, including Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. In some areas, the National Guard has been put on alert to intervene where necessary.
Serious problems have also been noted in air transport, with over 10,000 flights canceled. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest in the country, has suffered the biggest blow, as more than 1,200 departing and arriving flights have been canceled so far over the weekend.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state has mobilized over 1,600 snowplows and 114,000 tons of salt to deal with the storm, stressing that there will be "no corner of the state that will remain untouched by Mother Nature's wrath."
According to Jacob Asherman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, if extreme cold is also taken into account, the total number of people who could be affected is expected to reach up to 220 million. "This is a storm that will be remembered for years," Caitlin Dirks, also a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said Friday, explaining that it is considered historic because of the extensive ice sheets that are expected to cause severe damage to infrastructure.
The intensity of the bad weather is also reflected in the images from many areas of the country, where citizens form long lines outside stores for basic supplies, while shelves are rapidly emptying.
Scenes here in Dallas, Texas. Heavy snow coming down, strong gusts of winds up to 60mph. #SnowStorm pic.twitter.com/vLXbiHJlkI
— Gerald (@GeraldBets) January 23, 2026
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