Winter storms leave 89 dead across US as chill settles over Great Lakes and Northeast
A downed power line killed three in Oregon as northeast braces for more snow
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At least 89 people have been killed across the country over the past two weeks as severe weather plagues the United States, according to an updated count by CBS News.
The most winter weather-related deaths have occurred in Tennessee after a truck spun out of control due to snowy conditions, causing it to slam into a tractor-trailer.
The governor of Oregon declared a state of emergency as its state is being pelted with freezing rain and winter storms that have led to fallen trees, massive power outages and at least 16 deaths.
Two adults and one teenager died after a power line fell onto a car in northeast Portland on Wednesday morning following a severe storm in Oregon. Officials also found an uninjured two-year-old on the scene whom they took to the hospital.
Now, several inches of lake-effect snow is hitting the Great Lakes region and northeast US, while arctic temperatures settle over the southeast US.
In Florida, meteorologists say low temperatures could impact wildlife, leading to a rare weather-related phenomenon: falling iguanas.
The severe winter storms have also unleashed travel chaos across the country, leading to thousands of flight cancellations and delays across the country.
Through a tragedy, a hero emerges
After a tragedy took place in ice-covered Oregon on Wednesday — three people were shocked to death after falling onto a downed power line. The Associated Press reported that a man died after tripping on a slick driveway forcing him to touch the live wire. He had been trying to bring his baby to safety. The baby’s mother, followed by her younger brother, also attempted to help, but they too were tragically met with the same fate
The outlet reported that 18-year-old Majiah Washington noticed the baby, lying on his father, moving his head. He had somehow survived.
Ms Washington said on Thursday that she “was concerned about the baby...Nobody was with the baby.” She had grabbed the child off of the father. Miraculously, neither she nor the baby were electrocuted, a fact that still mystifies the Portland Fire and Rescue team.
The baby was examined at the hospital and determined to be fine.
WATCH: National Weather Service meteorologists dig their way out of their office as heavy snow hits Iowa
Private plane emergency lands on snowy Virginia highway
Officials say that just before 1:00 pm, Virginia State Police were notified that a private airplane had landed in the DIREX lanes of Loudoun County Parkway.
The aircraft, a Southern Airways Express flight, had departed Dulles International Airport at 12:15 with seven people on board. It is currently unknown if anyone was hurt from the landing.
The cause for the emergency landing has not yet been determined.
Private plane emergency lands on snowy Virginia highway
A private plane made an emergency landing on a snowy highway in Virginia on Friday 19 January. Officials say that just before 1:00 pm, Virginia State Police were notified that a private airplane had landed in the DIREX lanes of Loudoun County Parkway. The aircraft, a Southern Airways Express flight, had departed Dulles International Airport at 12:15 with seven people on board. It is currently unknown if anyone was hurt from the landing. The cause for the emergency landing has not yet been determined.
Winter weather caused more than 80 deaths over the last week
83 people have died due to extreme winter weather across the US in the last week, according to CBS News.
Nineteen of those deaths were in Tennessee, while another sixteen people were killed in Oregon. That total includes three people who died trying to exit their parked car after a downed power line crashed into it.
The death toll may rise again this weekend as an arctic chill freezes much of the US yet again.
Lake-effect snow blankets the Great Lakes
Lake-effect snow is pouring down on the Great Lakes region, creating dangerous travel conditions for area residents.
Western Michigan will be hit with roughly half a foot of snow today, according to the National Weather Service, creating slick roads and low visibility for drivers. Residents of Cleveland, Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania can also expect several inches of snow accompanied by single-digit and sub-zero wind chills, per the National Weather Service.
Lake-effect snow falls when cold air from Canada moves across the Great Lakes, forming clouds that can produce two to three inches of snow per hour.
SEE IT: Satellite imagery of storm brewing over Lake Michigan
Northeast hit with arctic air from Canada
The freezing temperatures hitting the northeast this weekend are thanks to an arctic air mass from northern Canada, according to officials with the National Weather Service (NWS).
“This frigid airmass was over Northern Canada (in the Arctic) more than a week ago,” officials with the NWS for New York posted on X. “It’ll stick around this weekend before the next system brings in warmer air mid week.”
Most of southeast US under hard freeze warning: NWS
Much of the southeastern US is under a hard freeze warning Saturday morning thanks to arctic temperatures in the region.
The National Weather Service has issued the warning for most of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, as well as parts of southern Georgia and the Florida panhandle.
These conditions are nothing new for the region — the mid-south and southeast have seen extreme cold and dangerous road conditions on-and-off for several days now.
More than 30,000 still without power in Oregon
As Oregon recovers from a series of arctic blasts and ice storms earlier this week, 31,000 customers in the state are still without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
The storms coated Portland and the surrounding regions with a quarter-inch of ice, causing trees to topple and power lines to fall.
As crews work to restore power, the state is mourning the death of at least 16 people who died under weather-related conditions in the state, including three who were killed after trying to escape from a downed power line that hit their car.
Photos show more than a foot of snow blanketing Garrett County, Maryland
Photos shared by the National Weather Service show a wintry landscape in Garrett County, Maryland, where more than a foot of snow has fallen and more is on the way.
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