Severe snowstorm hits US, bears down on East Coast

 

A severe winter storm that whipped up tornadoes in the southern US has brought heavy snow to the Midwest and threatens disruption in the east.

 

At least six people have been killed and authorities have told people to stay at home rather than brave freezing temperatures and treacherous roads.

 

A state of emergency has been declared in Mississippi and Alabama after the storm downed power lines.

 

Hundreds of flights have been grounded by snow and blizzards.

 

More delays are expected as the storm moves towards New York state and Maine, where as much as 18 inches (46cm) of snow is expected in the next 24 hours.

 

The National Weather Service has warned of near-zero visibility in Buffalo, New York, where heavy snowfall is predicted to combine with high winds.

 

Weather warnings are in place from Florida and the Gulf Coast all the way up to New England.

 

Little Rock, Arkansas, saw its first snow on Christmas Day in 83 years, while in neighbouring Oklahoma seven inches of snow was blamed for a 21-vehicle pile-up on an interstate highway outside Oklahoma City.

 

Thirty-four tornadoes were reported in the southern states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday. A large section of a church roof in Mobile, Alabama, was ripped off by a twister.

 

Falling trees claimed the lives of two people in Texas and Louisiana. Deaths were also reported on the roads in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

 

More than 200,000 people are said to be without power.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20847644

Yeah it was fun driving home from work last night, it took me about 1.5 hours (normally half hour to 45 minutes). On one of the roads, people couldn't get enough traction to climb the hill, more and more people were getting stuck and put on their hazard lights as I was approaching. I was a bit concerned the same might happen to me (particularly since I have a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, which doesn't exactly handle well in snow/ice). I just made sure not to stop, keep going up, and weaved through the stalled vehicles.

 

Oh and when I did eventually get home, the power was out for miles, YAY. I'm not sure how long the power was out before that, but it came back on about 2 hours after I got home so that wasn't too bad.

 

On the bright side, it's pretty outside. :tongue:

Imagine if that sort of snow hit the UK, it would be chaotic

Imagine if that sort of snow hit the UK, it would be chaotic

It was definitely chaotic during that snowfall late December 2010. It was maybe 3 inches with a little ice, and Heathrow was virtually at a standstill for days. I'm glad I got out of there with only a 1-day delay. I can't imagine what 8 inches (like we had) would do over there.

 

It just seems odd to me because the UK is much further north than where I am, so I would think they would be used to lots of snow. I guess having the Atlantic to the west has a bigger impact on the climate (milder) than it is having Lake Michigan to the west.

 

 

 

Here's a brief video of traffic in London with only a few inches of snow; do people just freak out? I don't understand.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLsiretLhNQ]London traffic during December 2010 snow storm - YouTube[/ame]

 

it makes Eddie Stobart's Trucks & Trailers Winter Specials exciting to watch!