Deadly Arctic winds tighten grip on US
With the demand for heat so high, officials in New England warned of possible rolling blackouts.
At least six people have died in the latest cold snap, including a hiker found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
New York City matched an 1893 degree record low for the day at one degree, according to the National Weather Service.
“Any exposed skin can freeze in less than 30 minutes,” forecaster Scott Reynolds warned.
The hiker found dead on Thursday in New Hampshire had been outside since Monday in the White Mountains, where temperatures fell to minus 45 and the wind chill approached minus 100. Friends said Kenneth R Holmes had called them from a cell phone Tuesday saying he planned to hitchhike home the following day.
He was well-equipped, including a tent and a stove, but “in these extreme temperatures, it’s not always going to cut it,” said the US Fish and Game Department.
The storm and cold also claimed at least five lives in Michigan, where 10 inches of snow north of Detroit made roads dangerous, authorities said.
In New York City, outreach teams from the Department of Homeless Services planned to bring homeless people in the city indoors, even against their will, if they were at risk of losing life or limb, said Jim Anderson, a department spokesman.
With high heating demands in homes and businesses across the Northeast, Vermont’s governor and power companies in Connecticut warned yesterday there could be blackouts.
New York State set a record for winter power usage on Thursday and was expected to break it yesterday, though power grid officials said there appeared to be enough electricity to meet the demand. Maine’s governor had already declared a civil emergency in his state, waiving certain trucking regulations so fuel oil delivery drivers could work overtime.
The extreme cold also forced the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights at New York-area airports.
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