Brutal blast of winter weather blamed for at least 20 deaths in the U.S.
- At least 20 people have died in the extreme conditions, and more ice, snow, and frigid temperatures are forecast for parts of the country in the coming days. Nearly 75% of the Lower 48 states of the U.S. was under snow cover, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Snow Analysis daily report, including many places rarely hit by inclement weather. A week ago, 45% of the Lower 48 was under snow. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
- Another winter storm with snow and ice was forecast to pummel portions of the South and Midwest on Wednesday before slamming into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday. In all, as of late Tuesday, 115 million Americans were in the path of the next storm, all the way from Texas to Massachusetts, the weather service said. USA TODAY
- Millions of Americans — most of them in Texas — are still without electricity. The state’s power grid collapsed under the demand for heat. Texas residents said the storm — and ensuing partial collapse of the state’s power system — sapped what mental reserves they had left after eleven months of a global health crisis that has cost thousands of jobs and claimed more than 40,000 lives in the state. THE TEXAS TRIBUNE
- The CDC warned of “widespread delays” in COVID-19 vaccinations, as distribution centers and clinics closed due to dangerous weather. “Due to the severe winter weather currently impacting a large swath of the country, the U.S. government is projecting widespread delays in COVID-19 vaccine shipments and deliveries over the next few days,” CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed said in an email. NBC NEWS
In Another News
In a Town Hall, President Biden said he wants most K–8 schools to be open by the end of April, and pledged there would be enough COVID-19 vaccines for nearly all Americans by the end of July.
“As my mother would say, with the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbors, that by next Christmas I think we’ll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, than we are today,” Biden said. “A year from now, I think that there’ll be significantly fewer people having to be socially distanced, having to wear a mask.”
