Winter Storm Fern: Millions on Alert, 22 States in Emergency

Oklahoma :-winter storm fern advances⁤ this weekend⁢ on a good part of USA and keeps nearly 140 million people on alert -more than 40% of the population-, from New Mexico to New⁣ England.

With extreme temperatures, heavy snowfall and ice accumulation, The storm ‍has already⁣ forced the cancellation of around 12,000 flights and⁢ issued warnings for⁣ routes converted into‍ ice⁢ traps and possible power outages. that could extend several days.

“What really makes this storm unique is that, immediatly afterward, it’s going to make very cold”explained Allison Santorelli,⁤ a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and ⁢ice are going to take a long time to melt and are not going to ‍disappear anytime soon, which is going to make any recovery efforts challenging,” she added.

More⁤ than 160 million ⁢people are in the path of the storm that will sweep the United States. Forecast valid⁢ from January 23⁣ to January 26 (Published by The New York times)

By midday ‍Saturday, about 0.6 centimeters of ice had already been recorded in areas of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and parts of Louisiana. The worst conditions are expected in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, where ice could reach up to 2.5 centimeters thick on branches, power lines and roads. Meteorologists warned that the damage,especially in the areas hardest hit by ice,could be comparable to‍ that caused by a⁢ hurricane..

State and federal authorities began to deploy emergency⁣ measures‍ as the storm advanced. President Donald Trump said on social media on Friday that his ⁢governance was coordinating⁣ actions with state and local ⁢governments, while governors of more than a dozen states warned of impending bad weather and‍ asked people to stay home.

Twenty-two states declared an emergency to unlock ⁢federal resources, according to an agency report released Saturday.

In Virginia, authorities urged residents to stock up and avoid driving. “Please use this time to prepare, make sure you have blankets,‍ shelter and ⁢food to get you through the storm,”⁤ Gov. Abigail Spanberger said at a news conference.

Georgian authorities advised residents of the north of the state to abandon the roads before ⁢nightfall on ⁢Saturday and prepare to stay at home for at least 48 hours. Will⁣ Lanxton, the state’s chief meteorologist, said Georgia could⁤ face “perhaps the biggest ice storm in more than a decade.”

“Ice is a⁣ completely different challenge than snow. Can’t handle it. It’s much more likely to take down power lines and‍ trees,” Lanxton warned. As part of preparations, state crews⁤ began treating roads.