A big freeze has gripped the US and Canada since a bomb cyclone hit North America over Christmas. Americans and Canadians in affected areas must contend with freezing temperatures and a thick blanket of snow.
Far from the idyllic “white Christmas,” authorities across North America have reported fatalities caused by the extreme weather. People have been warned to stay inside and minimize travel.
Fatalities
According to media reports, at least fifty-seven people have been killed by the extreme weather event across twelve US states. Four people were reported dead in Canada after a bus rolled over in icy conditions in British Columbia.
Deaths attributed to the big freeze have been reported in the US states of Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
New York appears to have been hit the hardest by the cold. Of the fifty-seven reported deaths in the US, twenty-five of them were in New York. Some of those who died in Buffalo, a city in upstate New York near Canada, were found dead in their cars. Others were found frozen in piles of snow on the street.
American authorities are worried that more fatalities will follow. Residents who are trapped inside their houses by more than thirty inches (seventy-six centimeters) of snow are at risk of hypothermia if their power is also knocked out by the freezing weather.
US President Joe Biden took to Twitter to offer his sympathies to those who have lost friends and family to the extreme weather conditions, saying “My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend. You are in my and Jill’s prayers.”
I spoke with @GovKathyHochul to get an update on the extreme winter weather hitting New York. We stand ready to make sure they have the resources they need to get through this.
My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend. You are in my and Jill’s prayers. pic.twitter.com/Lt6eZ1YJR5
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 26, 2022
Disruption
The extreme weather has also caused significant disruption across North America. On Christmas Day, seven hundred thousand people across the US were left without electricity in their homes.
Many hoping to travel during the holiday period have likewise had their hopes dashed. Thousands of flights were canceled due to poor weather conditions.
Icy conditions on roads have made it more difficult for emergency services to operate quickly and safely. This has exacerbated the risks associated with the extreme weather since ambulances and other emergency services have struggled to reach vulnerable people during the big freeze.
Thank you to our emergency responders who continue working to help our neighbors impacted by this historic blizzard.
With more snow expected tonight and tomorrow, state emergency crews, utility workers, and @NationalGuardNY soldiers will be there to help New Yorkers in need. https://t.co/Q64ZY8QJc2
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 26, 2022
What is causing the big freeze?
The freezing temperatures have been caused by a weather event called a bomb cyclone. A bomb cyclone refers to a rapidly deepening area of low pressure. The onset of such a storm and the big freeze it brings is very sudden, hence the reference to a bomb.
Areas affected by a bomb cyclone typically experience immensely strong winds and heavy precipitation, typically in the form of sleet or snow.
According to Kirsty McCabe, a Sky News weather presenter, the big freeze affecting North America at the moment is caused by a “contrast between cold, Arctic air in the north and warm, tropical air in the south,” which has strengthened the jet stream and deepened the area of low pressure.
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