A state of emergency has been declared in New England and the states of New York and New Jersey as people in the north-eastern US continue to struggle with severe snow storm and extreme cold.
Å“As this winter storm unfolds, bringing heavy snow and high winds to many parts of the state, I strongly urge all New Yorkers to exercise caution, avoid travel and stay indoors,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The first severe winter storm of 2014 is expected to affect 20 US states and more than 120 million people.
According to FlightAware.com, the storm had delayed or canceled around 8,000 flights flying within, into or out of the US by Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, officials expect the worst of the storm to hit between late Thursday night and early Friday morning.
The governors of New York and New Jersey have both ordered state offices closed on Friday for non-essential workers.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick also described the situation in his state Å“very, very dangerous” saying temperatures could plummet Å“as low as 25 degrees below zero” Thursday night into Friday morning.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service have warned that the storm Å“will raise havoc” this week.
Å“Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely,” a weather advisory with the service said. Å“This will lead to whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel.”
ISH/ISH
Source: Press TV