US prepares for fresh winter storm chaos

Mon, 31 Jan 2011

Washington - The United States was gearing up Monday for more snow and ice chaos as a massive storm system stretching from the western Rocky Mountains to north-eastern New England prepared to strike.

About 100 million people could be affected, though weather forecasters predict the Mid West will bear the brunt of the storm. About half a meter of snow could fall within just a few hours Tuesday on Chicago, Illinois, bringing the metropolis to a standstill.

A mixture of snow, sleet and ice was to begin falling Monday night and is expected to last for three days, with winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour and the peak only coming on Wednesday. The wintry weather could stretch as far south as Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.

The onslaught comes just one week after the North East was hit by snowfall that left hundreds of thousands in Washington without power and caused major travel disruptions. But the region was likely to see less snow from this weather system than past storms this winter.

"A storm of this size and scope needs to be taken seriously," said Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government body overseeing natural disasters.

"It's critical that the public does its part to get ready. Already this winter we have seen how snow and ice can knock out power and affect transportation," Fugate said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/365211,fresh-winter-storm-chaos.html.