Studies show that the rapid warming of the Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy domain.
Heavy snowfall and freezing rain caused widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the United Kingdom and Germany. Several major airports were forced to suspend flights.
People walk in the snow at Studley Royal Park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.Credit: AP
The weather is expected to remain inclement across Britain on Sunday, raising concerns that many rural communities, particularly in the north of England, could be left isolated, with up to 40 centimeters of snow on the ground above 300 metres. .
The National Purple, which oversees the country’s power grid, said it had been working to restore power after outages across the country. Power outages were reported in the English cities of Birmingham and Bristol, and in Cardiff, Wales.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close runways overnight but were back to normal on Sunday. Leeds Bradford Airport took longer to get flights taking off again.
Snow and ice forecast
In the US state of Indiana, snow completely covered parts of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and US Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay away from roads as snowplows worked to keep up with the rainfall.
Vehicles travel on a highway during a winter storm Sunday in Cincinnati.Credit: AP
“It’s snowing so hard that the snow plows go through and then within half an hour the roads are completely covered again,” said Sergeant Todd Ringle.
About 10 inches of snow had fallen in parts of the state, and snow and sleet totals were forecast to exceed 14 inches in parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.
Vehicles travel on a highway during a winter storm in Cincinnati.Credit: AP
Car accidents begin
The US National Weather Service warned that road travel could be “very difficult to impossible.”
As of Sunday, dozens of car accidents had been reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his police car was struck on Interstate 65. .
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state emergency before the storm, said state buildings would be closed Monday.
Snow falls on the roofs of half-timbered houses in the historic city center of Freudenberg, Germany.Credit: AP
“We see too many accidents out there for people to not have to be on the roads, so I want to ask: stay inside. Stay safe with your family. Let the road crews do their job,” the governor said in a video posted on social media.
“We want to make sure no one gets hurt and everyone gets through this safely, so please take care of each other.”
The governors of Missouri and Arkansas also declared states of emergency.
Air and rail travel
The storms also wreaked havoc on American railroads, causing numerous cancellations. More than 20 cancellations were planned for Sunday, 40 for Monday and at least two for Tuesday.
“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it is contradictory to try to offer a full range of services when people are being told to stay home,” said Marc Magliari, a spokesman for the US rail network Amtrak. “Likewise, we know that our people are going to have problems getting to work.”
The Midwest was especially hard hit. A train between Chicago and New York and several regional trains between Chicago and St. Louis were among those canceled Sunday.
Nearly 200 flights in and out of St Louis Lambert International Airport were cancelled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.
temperatures drop
Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience dangerously bone-chilling cold and wind chill, forecasters said. Temperatures could be between 7 and 14 degrees Celsius below normal.
On Sunday in Chicago, temperatures ranged from -7 to -12 degrees Celsius and around freezing in Minneapolis, while they dipped to -23 degrees Celsius in Worldwide Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.
Northeastern states are more likely to experience several days of cold after what has been a mostly mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grey, Maine. A plume of cold air moving down from Canada is likely to result in a cold but dry week, he said.
AP
