'Bomb cyclone' leaves frozen wake of destruction and kills 22 in eastern US

RT
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 18:55 UTC

© Mike Segar

Manhattan, New York January 4, 2018.

The 'bomb cyclone' cold weather system that hit the US east coast this week has moved on, leaving freezing temperatures and more than 20 dead in its wake.

At least 22 people have died as a result of the extreme conditions, CBS News reports. The casualties include a girl who was hit with a pickup truck whilst sledding in Richmond, Virginia, and a man who was killed by a snow plow, also in Virginia.

The National Weather Service said the "arctic airmass [is] to remain entrenched over the eastern US this weekend."

"Bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills are likely over the eastern third of the country this weekend," it warned.

The National Weather Service said the "arctic airmass [is] to remain entrenched over the eastern US this weekend."

"Bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills are likely over the eastern third of the country this weekend," it warned.

Passengers on the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean endured a terrifying experience as the 4,000 capacity ship cut straight through the storm as it headed for New York. For two days, the ship battled the storm in an ocean where swells reached 30 feet (9 meters).

Passengers described the experience as traumatic, as the ship began leaking and people suffered seasickness.

"All guests and crew are safe," Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement, CBS New York reported. "We sincerely apologize to our guests for these stronger than expected weather conditions and any resulting discomfort they may have experienced."

On Thursday, the US Coast Guard Northeast shared footage of one of its ships breaking through the ice on the Hudson River, where it conducted search and rescue missions during the storm.

Rescue workers and authorities across Massachusetts, Maine and other affected areas on the east coast fought to clear snow and help people escape from flooded areas in the wake of the storm.

Several people made use of the extreme weather to carry out some risky attempts at winter sports. In Boston, a man was spotted skiing off the back of a Lamborghini.

Other Bostonians began using Beacon Hill as a ski slope.

Comment: Chicago hasn't seen a cold snap this long (12 days) since 1936 and 1895 before that, with areas reaching 21 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. There's a wind chill warning for the rest of the weekend in the northeast, where temps may drop as low as 45 below with the wind chill:

Daily record lows within reach Sunday morning include (record to beat is shown): Boston (2 degrees below zero); Providence (1 degree below zero); New York City (4 degrees); Philadelphia (4 degrees).

If Philadelphia slips below zero on Sunday morning it would be the first subzero low temperature in the city since 1994.

New York City could record just its second subzero low temperature since 1994 on Sunday morning. The last time the Big Apple was below zero was on Valentine's Day in 2016

Some relief from the cold will arrive in the Midwest on Sunday as temperatures rise to near or above average in most locations. This return to near-average temperatures will sweep into the Northeast by early next week.

The past 2 weeks have seen daily record lows in the area.