NOS news••Edited
Some parts of the United States are suffering from heavy rain and snow. A million homes and businesses were hit by cold weather last week, with major roads closed and hundreds of flights canceled. At least three people have died.
More than 460 flights were canceled and more than 7,400 delayed across the United States yesterday, according to the FlightAware website. Some major highways are closed due to dangerous driving conditions.
In the state of Michigan alone, about 600,000 homes were without power yesterday. Due to the cold weather, the electric cables were covered with thick ice or fell due to the weight. Temperatures have been below freezing in many parts of the state in recent days.
Snow also fell on the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles:
Unusual winter weather across much of the US
In California, the weather service has issued a cold winter weather warning for snow, rain and flooding. There too tens of thousands of people suffered from power outages.
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the message sent to smartphones said. “Don’t travel unless you flee because of the flood.”
In some areas, up to 230 millimeters of rain could fall, according to the weather service, so there is also a warning for flooding and landslides.
Unique warning
Also, for the first time in nearly thirty years, a blizzard warning has been issued for Los Angeles and the surrounding area. In San Francisco, the lowest temperature in 132 years was recorded on February 24. It was 4 degrees, slightly cooler than the record in 1891.
Heavy rain is expected in many parts of California today. A massive low pressure system coming from the North Pole is causing the cold weather, the Met Office said.
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