So severe is the weather in the US, it’s not so much a case of where it might be a white Christmas this year but rather where might escape the snow.
Forecasters have said the “once in a generation” storm could lead to the coldest Christmas in the US for decades.
A blast of Arctic air combined with a “bomb cyclone” is producing treacherous temperatures and “life threatening” weather conditions.
One startling temperature map has shown that on Christmas Eve, usually reliably toasty US winter destinations – like Florida and Texas – will be literally freezing.
Orlando, better known for its open air theme parks amid palm trees, could fall to -1C on December 24 which would lead to its coldest Christmas in 50 years.
Normally sultry New Orleans is looking at -2C and humid Houston will fall to -3C.
El Paso, a city built in a desert, could see a low of -6C on Friday. Snow has already been reported as falling in parts of Texas.
Yet those temperatures are warm compared to elsewhere in the States.
On Thursday afternoon, at the hottest time of the day, the temperature in the city of Great Falls, Montana – around 1000km inland of Seattle – was a seriously chilly -31C. It’s a common temperature throughout the US’ Midwest.
Further afield, Chicago is looking at a low of -16C on Christmas Eve and New York -11C.
Only the west coast of the US is likely to dodge the freezing conditions.
‘Frostbite within five minutes’
“Life-threatening wind chills over the Great Plains will overspread the eastern half of the nation by Friday,” the US National Weather Service said.
“At the forefront of the impressive weather pattern is a dangerous and record-breaking cold air mass in the wake of a strong Arctic cold front diving southward.”
It added that wind gusts could make it feel more like between -40C and -55C in places.
“Wind chills of this magnitude can cause frostbite in less than five minutes if precautions are not taken, with hypothermia and death also possible from prolonged exposure to the cold.”
A regional office of the weather service said it was “once in a generation storm” for the Great Lakes region of the US and Canada.
Airlines have cancelled around 1700 flights in the US with the busy hubs at Chicago and Denver the most badly affected by conditions so far.
A further 2500 flights have been delayed.
President Biden’s warning
US President Biden has urged Americans to say safe.
“This is really a very serious weather alert here. And it goes from Oklahoma all the way to Wyoming, and Wyoming to Maine.
“So I encourage everyone, everyone please heed the local warnings.
“It’s like not like a snow day, you know, like when you were a kid”, Mr Biden said.
“This is serious stuff.”
A bomb cyclone is a term used by meteorologists to describe a rapidly strengthening storm – typically when a storm system’s central pressure drops at least 24 millibars within 24 hours, Fox Weather explained.
They are called bomb cyclones because the rapid fall in pressure can cause explosive power which manifests in blizzards and thunderstorms.
