The January cold snap claimed at least 90 lives in the United States. This Sunday, the thermometer fell below 35°C in Wisconsin, before a warm spell expected in the middle of the week.
Frost and dangerous roads have killed at least 91 people this month in the United States, according to CBS News, most often caused by hypothermia and traffic accidents, mainly in the Northeast. and the Midwest. But the southern regions are not spared: Texas and Florida were still plagued by low, even very low, weather conditions this Sunday. The numbing cold is expected to ease in the coming days.
Water utilities in Memphis, Tennessee, are hard at work repairing pipes broken by the freeze on Sunday. At least 700,000 people could be affected.
Elsewhere, freezing rain, sleet and strong wind gusts make travel particularly treacherous in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service. In Iowa, felt temperatures fell to -20°C due to the wind, while in Wisconsin -35°C was recorded.
The end of subzero temperatures is in sight for some parts of the country. In Iowa’s capital, Des Moines, for example, daily high temperatures are expected to remain above freezing starting Monday.
“Without additional Arctic air from Canada, steady warming is expected for the center of the country” the weather service said.
Storm Isha passes through the British Isles
Tens of thousands of people were left without power and hundreds of trains were canceled on Monday after Storm Isha hit Great Britain and Ireland, where gusts of more than 140 km/h were recorded. during the night from Sunday to Monday.
Ireland and the United Kingdom have been hit since autumn by a series of wet, gusty storms that toppled trees, knocked out power and caused flooding along river valleys. Isha is the ninth since September.
In Scotland, rail traffic was interrupted on Sunday evening until Monday morning. Network Rail, which owns the rail infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales, said it was imposing speed limits on most lines to prevent locomotives from hitting fallen trees and other debris. “There is also a continued risk of significant debris on the road network as wind speeds remain high throughout the day Monday“.
Planes heading to several airports were diverted, including a flight from the Canary Islands to Dublin that ended up in Bordeaux, France. Some 230,000 homes and businesses were without power in Ireland, and 40,000 in neighboring Northern Ireland. The Met Office said the storm was expected to “gradually move away” during the day on Monday.
