West US and Canada Hit by Heavy Snowfall and Freezing Temperatures
Thousands of people were without power in the western United States last weekend due to the heavy snow showers. The heavy snowfall also threatens avalanches in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and California. It is also freezing in western Canada.
In some places in northern California, up to 76 centimetres of snow fell in 24 hours, rendering many roads unusable. In Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California, there has been a warning about avalanche danger since yesterday because of the heavy snow showers in large regions with unstable snow, reports CNN.
For example, in Washington and Oregon, there were power outages due to the bad weather. Northern California was the most brutal hit. As of this morning, local time, 28,000 power outages have been reported, according to the Power Outage US website, which reports the outages.
In Nevada, north of California, authorities warned of wind chill temperatures as low as -48 degrees Celsius. Dangerously cold winds can cause frostbite on the skin after just five minutes.
In Texas, in the south of the US, it is hot for this time of year: a record temperature of 32 degrees Celsius was measured in Wichita Falls, on the border with Oklahoma. In Houston, the mercury climbed to 27 degrees.
It is also freezing in western Canada. Authorities have issued warnings of freezing weather throughout Alberta and parts of British Colombia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, CTV News reports. In Alberta, temperatures as low as -55 degrees Celsius were expected, as low as -40 degrees Celsius in Saskatchewan.
The Weather Network reported yesterday that temperatures in Canada dropped to -51 degrees Celsius for the first time in eight years in Rabbit Kettle in the Northwest Territories. It had been since February 2013 that temperatures dropped this low.
The temperature in other weather stations in the province also dropped to -47 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in the last week of December normally “only” drops to -10 to -30 degrees Celsius.