United States of freezing! Christmas bomb cyclone leaves FedEx warning presents delayed

A wild winter storm continued to envelop much of the United States on Saturday, bringing blinding blizzards, freezing rain, flooding and life-threatening cold temperatures for 200 million Americans – and created mayhem for those traveling to see loved ones this Christmas. 

The storm that arrived earlier in the week is nearly unprecedented in scope, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the Mexican border.

It has downed scores of power lines, leaving around 1.5 million Americans without electricity, and highways are littered with piles of wrecked cars after whiteout conditions caused deadly accidents. And at least 19 people have lost their lives as a result of the brutal weather, latest figures show.

More than 10,000 flights worldwide were canceled or delayed Friday, with around 5,000 of those occurring in the US, according to tracking site FlightAware. Travelers have been forced to sleep on airport floors overnight, with many now unable to get home for the holidays. 

Many families may also be waking up on Christmas morning to find there are no presents after FedEx issued a warning on its website that said guaranteed delivery dates previously promised may not be met due ‘substantial’ weather disruptions, particularly at hubs in Indianapolis and Memphis.

The statement read: ‘We recognize the importance of deliveries this holiday weekend and are committed to providing service to the best of our ability by implementing contingency measures where it is safe and possible to do so’.

A 50-car pile-up was reported in Ohio, causing at least four fatalities. The crashes happened Friday afternoon along Interstate 80 eastbound between Route 53 and State Route 4 in Sandusky County, near Groton Township and the Erie County line

Around 60 percent of the U.S. population face some sort of winter weather advisory or warning after temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said. 

Freezing rain coated much of the Pacific Northwest in a layer of ice, while people in the Northeast faced the threat of coastal and inland flooding. 

The frigid temperatures and gusty winds were expected to produce ‘dangerously cold wind chills across much of the central and eastern U.S. this holiday weekend,’ the weather service said, adding that the conditions ‘will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded.’ 

Multiple highways were closed and crashes claimed at least six lives, officials said. Four people died in a massive pileup involving some 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike. 

The crashes happened Friday afternoon along Interstate 80 eastbound between Route 53 and State Route 4 in Sandusky County, near Groton Township and the Erie County line. 

The storm that arrived earlier in the week downed power lines, littered highways with piles of cars in deadly accidents and led to mass flight cancellations

Garrett Fuller, left, helps friend Robin Jacobs get up after slipping to the icy ground on Capitol Hill in Seattle on Friday

Firefighters with the Detroit Fire Department try to remove ice from their fire hoses while fighting a warehouse fire

Calling it a ‘kitchen sink storm,’ New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency. In parts of New York City, tidal flooding inundated roads, homes and businesses Friday morning. 

In Erie County, in Western New York, a driving ban was put in place, as New York State traffic cameras show the lack of visibility in the area. In Buffalo, city officials canceled the Buffalo Sabres home game with the Tampa Bay Lightening. 

During a CNN broadcast, a bizarre moment occurred when reporter Polo Sandoval was barely visible on camera due to the whiteout conditions in Buffalo.   

New York City saw high winds, and flooding in some areas. Parts of Brooklyn and Queens were experiencing blackouts.

Power operator PJM has ordered residents in 13 states to conserve electricity. The states in question are Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

A shocking video showed the moment a roof collapsed amid high winds at a hotel in New Hampshire as debris crashed on to a car 

Surf’s up! A surfer defies the weather and takes to Lake Erie in western New York amid the frigid temperatures 

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A traffic light crashed to the ground in Rochester, New York, as the winds continued to barrel through the area 

In Oklahoma, a woman took a photo of water freezing straight from her tap in McAlester, 100 miles east of Oklahoma City

In a bleak interview with CNN, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said: ‘Remember your loved ones care more about having you alive and that next Christmas than whether you can make this one. People need to stay off the roads. … Being together is more important than ever, but staying safe is even more important than that.

A Kansas City, Missouri, a driver was killed Thursday after skidding into a creek, and three others died Wednesday in separate crashes on icy northern Kansas roads. 

While in McAlester, Oklahoma, a woman’s water froze as soon as it left the tap. 

In Canada, WestJet canceled all flights Friday at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as meteorologists there warned of a potential once-in-a-decade weather event.

While in Mexico, migrants camped near the US border in unusually cold temperatures as they awaited a U.S. Supreme Court decision on pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

Even people in Florida were braced for unusually chilly weather as rare freeze warnings were issued for large parts of the state over the holiday weekend. 

Volunteers were rushing to get homeless people out of the cold. Nearly 170 adults and children were keeping warm early Friday in Detroit at a shelter designed to hold 100 people. 

‘This is a lot of extra people’ but it wasn’t an option to turn anyone away, said Faith Fowler, the executive director of Cass Community Social Services, which runs both facilities. 

Emergency weather shelters in Portland, Oregon, called for volunteers amid high demand and staffing issues as snow, freezing rain, ice and frigid temperatures descended upon the area.

As millions of Americans were traveling ahead of Christmas, more than 10,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled or delayed Friday, according to the tracking site FlightAware

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In Canada, WestJet canceled all flights Friday at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as meteorologists there warned of a potential once-in-a-decade weather event

Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow

Thomas Dameron, 36, hugs his 3 month-old puppy Rello at an emergency shelter for homeless inside Action Church in north Georgia, as temperatures plummeted to 8 degree

An outreach worker delivers supplies to people living in a homeless camp in Louisville

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said she was deploying the National Guard to haul timber to the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux tribes and help with snow removal.

‘We have families that are way out there that we haven’t heard from in two weeks,’ said Wayne Boyd, chief of staff to the Rosebud Sioux president.

On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Harlie Young was huddled with five children and her father around a wood stove as 12-foot snow drifts blocked the house.

‘We’re just trying to look on the bright side that they’re still coming and they didn’t forget us,’ she said Friday.

In Boston, rain combined with a high tide, flooded some downtown streets on Friday. 

A view of a car covered in snow after heavy snowfall in Regent, North Dakota

Near Rockaway Beach in Queens, chunks of a dead sperm whale that washed up on the shore were driven onto the streets.

‘In one of those ‘Only in Rockaway’ scenarios, it appears parts of the sperm whale that was necropsied last week, is now on Rockaway Beach Blvd and Beach 116th Street,’ tweeted one local. ‘Can’t make this up.’

The 32-foot female whale washed up on December 13 and surfers and local authorities tried to return her to the ocean, but she died before she reached the open water.

Her carcass was chopped up for transportation, but slabs of whale meat were blown onto the streets on Friday by the wind and waves.