‘Bone-chilling cold’ US continues to freeze and Storm Grayson brings 90mph winds
LARGE swathes of the United States are still in the grip of the aftermath of the Storm Grayson bomb cyclone which has seen the east coast freeze with wind chill temperatures dropping to as low as -69 degrees Celsius (-92F) and harsh 90mph winds.
The Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire recorded the severely cold temperatures, which were tied for the second coldest on Earth, on Saturday morning.
It recorded winds of 90mph and temperatures of -38C (-36F) but the wind chill made it feel twice as cold.
Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Baltimore, said: “It’s definitely cold and the type of bone-chilling cold that happens every few years."
The country also faced heavy snow falls, with 18 inches falling in some part of the country on Friday night.
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The ski resort of Killington in Burlington, Vermont, was forced to close as temperatures plummeted to -18C (0F) and the wind chill made it feel like -46C (-51C).
The river in Chicago froze over and people were forced to abandon their cars in Boston.
The popular tourist attraction of Niagara Falls also froze over.
New York resident Zelani Miah said: “Right now, the only thing I put on was just some gloves, a couple sweaters of course, like five or six of them.”
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It’s definitely cold and the type of bone-chilling cold that happens every few years
Weather services have issued wind chill warnings for parts of Vermont, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Maine and New Hampshire.
The National Weather Service said in a tweet: "Arctic airmass will remain entrenched over the eastern third of the country this weekend.
"Bitterly cold wind chills of 25 to 40 below zero will be possible over New England."
The cold spell has already claimed at least 19 lives, including four people in North and South Carolina whose cars ran off the road.
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In Philadelphia, a passenger was killed when a car failed to stop on a steep snow-covered hill and piled into a commuter train.
Elsewhere, in Virginia, a girl was killed when she was hit by a pickup truck while sledging and a 75-year-old man was hit by a snow plough.
Other fatalities were reported in Wisconsin, Texas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and North Dakota.
Even the South was not spared. Florida saw temperatures fall below freezing in some parts, bringing snow to Tallahassee, the capital, for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Residents of south-east Georgia saw a rare half foot of snow.
