UNITED STATES: A "bomb cyclone" winter storm that ravaged the country on Friday left more than a million US power users without power, closed roads, canceled flights and Christmas travel made miserable.

Heavy snow, howling winds and air so icy that boiling water turned to ice in an instant hit many parts of the country, including the typically temperate southern states.

The National Weather Service reported that more than 200 million Americans were under weather warnings as temperatures dropped to minus 48 degrees Celsius (NWS) due to wind chill.

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who is 39, and her husband took refuge in Hamburg, New York.

"I can't see across the street. We won't be leaving anytime soon," she said. She claimed that after a car hit a power line on the highway, its power was out for four hours.

The bitter cold is an immediate concern for the hundreds of thousands of power customers who were without power, according to tracker poweroutage.us.

Frustrated migrants entering Texas from Mexico crowded into churches, schools and a community center for warmth, according to Rosa Falcon, a teacher and volunteer.

However, she continued, some people still decided to stay outside in -26°C due to worry of attention from immigration officials.

We're giving away cold-weather gear, such as coats, hats, gloves, thermal underwear, blankets and sleeping bags, as well as hand and foot warmers, according to Burke Patton of Night Ministry, a nonprofit organization in Chicago. Huh. who helps the homeless.

The Salvation Army has open centers for people to use as shelter from severe weather, according to Major Caleb Sann, the organization's commander for the Chicago area.

He added that "some of the people we're seeing right now have just been homeless this year." Some of these individuals are genuinely fearful. They've been exposed to the elements like never before without a place to go.

However, some people were easily facing the bitter cold. In Canada, last-minute vacationers braved the frigid temperatures of downtown Toronto.

"I think every few years we get some pretty big storms," said Jennifer Campbell of Caledon, Ontario. Because we're Canadian, that's why we work.

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Transportation officials urged people to stay inside in North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Iowa and other states due to near-zero visibility whiteouts, snow-covered roads, blizzard conditions and other factors.

Oklahoma reported at least two traffic deaths on Thursday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed there were three in his state.

At least one person was killed in a 50-vehicle crash in Ohio and nine tractor trailers were involved in a crash in Michigan that caused a traffic jam, local media reported.

Even as the country entered what would normally be its busiest travel season of the year, drivers were being advised not to take to the roads.

In a news conference, New York Governor Cathy Hochul announced that the threat was epic and widespread.
"Your tires won't be able to handle the roads, which will be like an ice rink.

As a winter storm hit New York City on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams was nowhere to be found. According to high-ranking officials in his administration, Adams took two days off on Thursday and will return to work on Saturday. He steadfastly refused to say where he was.

Adams First Vice Mayor Lorraine Grillo told reporters, "I know for sure where he is." He might as well be here, because we've been talking nonstop all day, that's all I'll tell you.

Nearly 5,000 US flights were canceled and another 7,600 delayed on Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, many at major international hubs in New York, Seattle and Chicago's O'Hare.

Even commuters arriving in sunny Los Angeles were suffering as a result of the knock-on effects. According to Christine Lerosen, she was unable to find a flight out of Vancouver.

I had to arrange for my brother to drive me to Seattle to book a flight from there to Denver and then to this place. They delayed my flights from Denver to Seattle and now they've lost my luggage," she complained.

Air pressure decreased significantly during 24 hours, and by Friday afternoon, the storm had earned the designation of "bomb cyclone". Bomb cyclones produce heavy rain or snow. They can also generate hurricane-force winds and flood coasts.

Waves up to 8 metres high have been reported in Lake Erie, according to a tweet from Toronto meteorologist Kelsey McEwen, while the NWS reported 120 kph wind gusts in Ohio's Fairport Harbor.

Lead forecaster for the NWS in Glasgow, Montana, where the wind chill dropped to -51 degrees Celsius overnight, Rich Maliawco, issued a severe weather warning.

"Unprotected skin can become frostbitten in less than five minutes with these kinds of wind chills if you're not wearing those warm layers," he said.

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People posted videos of themselves performing the "boiling water challenge," in which they throw boiling water into the air and watch it instantly freeze. NWS Missoula in Montana tweeted, "We created our own cloud @ -17 F (-27 C) at the #Missoula International Airport."