Firefighter Killed, Blackouts, Flights Cancelled: US Winter Storm Takes Toll On Normal Life

The harsh weather conditions left around 9,00,000 homes and businesses without power in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin on Thursday morning

Minneapolis received 1 to 2 inches of snowfall per hour while new accumulation added 8 inches of snow.

A monster storm in the US over Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Thursday claimed the life of a firefighter, resulted in power knockout to more than 9,00,000 people and cancellation or delay of thousands of flights. 

According to a report by Reuters, winter weather adversaries affected a broad swath of the northern United States from Washington to New England  with another 18 inches (46 cm) of snow, winds up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres per hour) and wind chills equivalent to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) possible throughout the day, the National Weather Service said.

A volunteer firefighter was killed in Muchigan’s suburban Grand Rapids after coming in contact with a live power line knocked down by ice, local officials said on Twitter.

Heavy snowfall in Minneapolis this morning at rush hour. Main roads are not bad but parking lots and side streets are tough driving. #mnwx @accuweather pic.twitter.com/XS2YkTucE7

— Aaron Jayjack (@aaronjayjack) February 23, 2023

The harsh weather conditions left around 9,00,000 homes and businesses without power in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin on Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.

The heavy weather caused over 2,000 flights to be grounded while another 15,000 were delayed as per flight-tracking website Flightware.com. Many roads were left impassable or treacherous to drivers.

"Travel on the roads can be dangerous with just a trace of ice. But we're seeing ice caking from a quarter to half inch (6 mm to 1.3 cm)," said Richard Bann, of the weather service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. "That can be practically impossible."

In Minneapolis with 2.9 million residents, the snow fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. New accumulations added to the 8 inches of snow already dumped by the storm.

Video footage and photographs on social media showed cars stuck on roadways, while streets and walkways were covered in drifting snow.