Polar vortex blasts North America and Europe with snow

Washington: A blast of snow, ice and wind as well as plunging temperatures stirred up dangerous travel conditions in parts of the central US and Europe on Sunday, as a disruptive winter storm brought the possibility of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some areas.

Snow and ice blanketed major roadways in nearly all of Kansas, western Nebraska, and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help any motorists who were stuck. Germany and Britain reported heavy snowfall and winter storms as well.

A group of cyclists make their way through downtown Wichita, Kansas, during a severe winter storm.Credit: AP

At least 20 centimetres of snow was expected, particularly north of Interstate 70 in the middle of the US, as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 72km/h.

The warning extended to New Jersey for Monday and into early Tuesday.

“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said early on Sunday.

About 63 million people in the US were under some kind of winter weather advisory, watch, or warning on Sunday, said Bob Oravec from the National Weather Service.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole.

People in the US, Europe, and Asia experience its intense cold when the vortex escapes and stretches south.

Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip.

Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the UK and Germany. Several major airports were forced to suspend flights.

People walk in the snow in Studley Royal park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.Credit: AP

The weather is set to stay inclement in Britain on Sunday, raising concerns that many rural communities, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off, with up to 40 centimetres of snow on the ground above 300 metres.

The National Grid, which oversees the country’s electricity network, said it had been working to restore power after outages across the country. Power cuts were reported in the English cities of Birmingham and Bristol, and Cardiff, Wales.

Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close runways overnight, but were returning to normal on Sunday. Leeds Bradford Airport took longer to get flights back in the air.

Snow and ice in forecast

In the US state of Indiana, snow fully covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69, and US Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as ploughs worked to keep up with the pace of the precipitation.

“It’s snowing so hard, the snow ploughs go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sergeant Todd Ringle said.

Roughly 25 centimetres of snow had fallen in parts of the state, with snow and sleet totals predicted to top 35 centimetres for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.

Vehicles drive along a highway during a winter storm in Cincinnati.Credit: AP

Car wrecks start

The US National Weather Service warned that road travel could be “very difficult to impossible”.

By Sunday, dozens of car accidents had been reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his police car was hit on Interstate 65.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who declared a state emergency ahead of the storm, said state buildings would be closed on Monday.

Snow falls on the roofs of the half-timbered houses in the historic city centre in Freudenberg, Germany.Credit: AP

“We see far too many wrecks out there for people that do not have to be on the roads, so I want to ask: stay inside. Stay safe with your family. Let the road crews do their work,” the governor said in a video posted to social media.

“We want to make sure that nobody gets hurt and everybody gets through this safely, so please look out for each other.”

Governors in Missouri and Arkansas also declared states of emergency.

Air and rail travel

The storms also caused havoc for US railways, leading to numerous cancellations. More than 20 cancellations were planned on Sunday, 40 for Monday, and at least two for Tuesday.

“If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it’s counterintuitive to try to run a full slate of services when people are being told to stay home,” US rail network Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. “Likewise, we know our people are going to have trouble getting in to work.”

The Midwest was hit especially hard. A train between Chicago and New York and several regional trains between Chicago and St Louis were among those cancelled on Sunday.

Nearly 200 flights in and out of St Louis Lambert International Airport were cancelled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

Temperatures dip

Starting on Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience dangerous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 7 to 14 degrees below normal.

In Chicago on Sunday, temperatures hovered in the single digits (minus 7 to minus 12) and around zero in Minneapolis, while dropping to minus 23 in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.

The north-eastern states are more likely to experience several days of cold following what has mostly been a mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. A plume of cold air coming down from Canada is likely to result in a cold but dry week, he said.

AP

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