Severe snowstorms and freezing temperatures in western America and Canada

Heavy snowfall in the western United States last weekend cut off thousands of people. In some parts of Northern California, up to 76 centimeters of snow fell in 24 hours, making many roads inaccessible. It is also very cold in western Canada.

Avalanche warning has been in effect in the states of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California since Sunday as severe snowfall is accompanied by unstable snow in large areas, the British public broadcaster BBC reported Monday.

In Washington and Oregon, for example, bad weather caused power outages. Northern California severely affected: US website reporting power outages reported 28,000 power outages early Monday morning local time.

In northern Nevada, California, air temperatures could drop to as low as -48 degrees Celsius, officials warned. Dangerous cold air can cause frostbite on the skin after five minutes.

In Texas, in the south of the United States, it’s the hottest time of the year: Wichita Falls, on the border with Oklahoma, measured 32 degrees Celsius. In Houston, mercury rose to 27 degrees.

It is also very cold in western Canada. CTV reports that authorities have warned of very cold weather throughout the province of Alberta and parts of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In Alberta, the temperature will be -55 degrees Celsius and in Saskatchewan -40 degrees Celsius.

The weather network in Rapid Kettle, northwest Tettoris, dropped to -51 degrees Celsius in Canada for the first time in eight years, the Meteorological Network said Sunday. In February 2013 the temperature dropped to this level. Temperatures in other parts of the province dropped to -47 degrees Celsius, while in the last week of December the temperature generally dropped to “only” -10 to -30 degrees Celsius.