A powerful winter storm, accompanied by snow, ice, wind and extremely cold temperatures, affected much of America and led to the closure of schools and government offices, and caused major traffic problems from the central and southern US states all the way to the East Coast.
Snow and ice covered highways in several US states, including Indiana where the National Guard had to help stranded drivers.
Winter storm warnings have been issued from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey. Governors in several states, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, have declared a state of emergency, Reuters reports.
In the US capital, Washington, it is expected to fall from 15 to more than 20 centimeters of snow. Schools are closed, as are government offices. In some parts of the city, traditional snowball fights are organized.
During the weekend, heavy snow has already fallen in states in the central part of America, where extremely low temperatures have been recorded. In parts of Kansas, overnight temperatures ranged from minus 15 to minus 32 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are expected to be below zero during the day as well.
Hundreds of schools announced in advance that there would be no classes on Monday due to the storm, including in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
Because of the storm, more than 330.000 homes and businesses in central and southern America are without power, according to the website PowerOutage.us.
By Monday morning, nearly 1.900 flights had been canceled, according to the website Flightaware.com. Airports in New York, Chicago and Washington were the hardest hit.
Airports around the US capital are open, but many flights are canceled or delayed. Trains on the line from Boston to Washington were also canceled.
Over the weekend, more than 600 drivers were stranded on Missouri roads, authorities said. Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.
Officials in the states affected by the storm urged citizens to stay off the roads.
The National Weather Service also warned that storms could hit southern states and potentially be accompanied by hail and tornadoes. Ice deposits of more than a centimeter are possible in some areas, while strong gusts of wind could lead to power outages for extended periods.
For some, snow is not a problem
While in Washington, many institutions remain closed and people try to stay mostly at home from where they work, in the very center of the city, a massive snowball was organized, which lasted for more than an hour. At times, fun, and sometimes dangerous, gathered hundreds of people in Meridian Hill Park, and Voice of America reporters "took" some blows.
Also in Washington, pandas enjoyed the snow, as announced by the Zoo in the capital.
Visitors to the Zoo will be able to see the new pandas that arrived from China only on January 24.
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