Winter storm's icy blast hits 200 million in US - BBC

Some 200 cardinal Americans are feeling the icy grip of a monolithic wintertime tempest that has been linked to astatine slightest 12 deaths up of the vacation weekend.

More than 1.5 cardinal radical mislaid powerfulness and thousands of flights were cancelled connected Friday.

In South Dakota, immoderate snowed-in Native Americans reportedly burned apparel for warmth aft moving retired of fuel.

In Canada, Ontario and Quebec were bearing the brunt of the storm, with powerfulness cuts for hundreds of thousands.

Much of the remainder of the country, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, is nether utmost acold and wintertime tempest warnings.

A weaponry cyclone, erstwhile atmospheric unit plummets, brought blizzard conditions to the Great Lakes connected the US-Canada border.

The immense tempest spans 2,000 miles (3,200km) from Texas to Maine, and the National Weather Service (NWS) said its Friday representation "depicts 1 of the top extents of wintertime upwind warnings and advisories ever".

Temperatures successful Elk Park, Montana, dropped to -50F (-45C), portion the municipality of Hell, Michigan, has frozen over.

The assemblage is covered successful respective inches of snowfall and it was 1F (-17C) determination connected Friday night.

Emily, a bartender astatine Smitty's Hell Saloon, told the BBC: "It's beauteous acold here, but we're having a hellhole of a time."

Heavy snowfall was forecast successful areas of Pennsylvania and Michigan. Buffalo, New York, was expecting astatine slightest 35in (89cm).

Coastal flooding has been seen successful New England, New York and New Jersey.

In the Pacific Northwest, immoderate residents person been seen ice-skating connected frozen streets successful Seattle and Portland.

Even the usually milder confederate states of Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia were experiencing hard-freeze warnings.

A fig of the storm-related fatalities person progressive roadworthy postulation accidents, including a 50-car pile-up successful Ohio that near astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic dead.

Travel problems crossed the state were being exacerbated by a shortage of snowfall plough operators, with debased wage blamed.

More than 8,000 flights were cancelled connected Friday, reported tracking tract FlightAware, wreaking yet much question chaos arsenic travellers conflict to marque it location for Christmas.

By Friday evening 1.2 cardinal customers had nary energy crossed the US, according to PowerOutage.us.

Utilities passim the Tennessee Valley were implementing rolling blackouts to prevention power.

The National Weather Service says much than 100 regular acold somesthesia records could beryllium tied oregon breached implicit the adjacent fewer days. Decades-old records person already been matched:

New York, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Oklahoma person declared states of emergency, portion Wisconsin declared an "energy emergency".

In South Dakota, immoderate Native American people members person tally retired of substance and nutrient and are trapped by monolithic snowfall drifts.

"We're warring a losing battle," Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out told the BBC.

Anna Halverson, who represents the Pass Creek District connected the reservation, told the Darsha Dodge Rapid City Journal: "I've seen crossed the preservation immoderate members were burning apparel successful their wood stove due to the fact that they couldn't get entree to wood."

"We person drifts arsenic precocious arsenic immoderate houses that agelong 60, 70 yards astatine a time."

She said 1 household had tally retired of babe formula, nutrient and substance and spent 4 days trapped wrong earlier walking 8 miles to get assistance due to the fact that their babe was starving.

"I've seen crossed the preservation immoderate members were burning apparel successful their wood stove due to the fact that they couldn't get entree to wood," Ms Halverson said.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has mobilised the state's National Guard to help.

Have you been affected by the terrible upwind successful the US and Canada? Please email us: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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