At least half of the US is bracing for a brutal winter storm over the weekend, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights, shut schools, and ask people to stock up on groceries.
More than 182 million people were under watches or warnings for ice and snow, and more than 210 million were under cold weather advisories or warnings after weather forecasters warned of catastrophic damage from a days-long storm that threatened to bring snow, sleet, ice, bone-chilling temperatures and extensive power outages to about half the US population.
Nationwide, more than 1,000 flights were delayed or cancelled Friday, with well over half of them in Dallas, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. About 2,300 were called off for Saturday.
The National Weather Service predicted that after sliding into the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about a foot (30 centimetres) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston.
President Donald Trump said via social media that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”
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Boston declared a cold emergency through the weekend, and Connecticut was working with neighbouring New York and Massachusetts in case travel restrictions are needed on major highways.
Frigid air that spilled down from Canada prompted the cancellations of classes at schools throughout the Midwest. Wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) meant that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.
In Oklahoma, the federal government put nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby. Officials had more than 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators placed throughout the area the storm was expected to cross, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“It’s going to be a big storm,” Maricela Resendiz said as she picked up chicken, eggs and pizzas at a Dallas store to get her, her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend through the weekend.
However, despite the bitter cold, a protest over an immigration crackdown went on as planned in Minnesota, with thousands demonstrating in downtown Minneapolis.
In Atlanta, where temperatures could dip to 10 degrees (minus 12 Celsius) and stay below freezing for 36 hours, M Cary & Daughters Plumbing co-owner Melissa Cary ordered all the pipe and repair supplies she could get. She predicted that her daily calls could go from about 40 to several hundred.
Connecticut Gov Ned Lamont has urged people to go grocery shopping now and “stay home on Sunday.” Philadelphia also announced schools would be closed Monday.
It’s an especially trying time for the homeless. Whittni Slater, who has been sleeping in his car in Detroit, got scared when he saw the weather forecast and searched for a place to stay. On Thursday night he slept on one 80 cots set up in a gymnasium at the Pope Francis Center.
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