At least nine people have died due to a winter storm “unlike anything seen in generations” hitting the east coast of the United States, as well as the southeast, which is usually accustomed to milder weather at this time of year.
The deaths related to the cold and snow wave have been reported in various locations in the state of Texas. They involve four people who died from hypothermia and five who died in an accident caused by icy conditions.
Images broadcast by American television networks show a blanket of snow covering areas that have not seen snow in decades, such as Texas, Louisiana, northern Florida, and even the beaches of Orange Beach, Alabama (south).
The region stretching from southeast Texas to Alabama has recorded snowfall of up to 20 cm in some places, according to the National Weather Service.
The record snowfall recorded in this part of the United States was nearly 7 cm in Louisiana in 1963, and 15 cm in Florida in 1954. The coastal city of Mobile, in southern Alabama, recorded more than 12 cm of snow, breaking a 143-year-old record.
These unusual conditions have led to the cancellation of at least 3,200 flights scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at several airports in the region.
Authorities have also ordered the closure of government offices, schools, and certain highways in Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi.
The snowfall is accompanied by an exceptional cold wave covering large parts of the American territory, extending from the borders with Canada to the Gulf of Mexico coast, dropping temperatures to -20 degrees.
On Monday, the National Weather Service had warned of a “winter storm unlike anything seen in generations,” urging residents to exercise extreme caution.