Bomb cyclone continues to batter US as death toll mounts to 34, millions still without power

At least 34 people have lost their lives in weather-related incidents across the United States, according to an NBC News tally as the monster storm gripped most of the nation coupled with snow, ice and howling winds,

The storm, known as a bomb cyclone, is expected to claim more lives as it has trapped some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocked out power in lakhs of homes and businesses.

In Canada, electricity was also out to at least 1,40,000 utility customers, mostly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, hard hit by the same weather system that buried western New York in snow.

TRAVEL PLANS DISRUPTED
The cyclone is touted as the worst storm in decades. It has disrupted travel plans for millions of Americans, leaving travelers facing delays and cancellations during one of the busiest times of the year.

Just two days before Christmas, around 6,000 flights were canceled after nearly 2,700 cancellations on Thursday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware, reported CNN.

TEMPERATURES HIT BELOW NORMAL

The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico, reported The Associated Press.

About 60% of the citizens of the United States faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures hit drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said.

Temperatures across central states have plunged due to the storm cyclone. In some parts of the US, the mercury plunged to -45°C two days before Christmas, leaving citizens packed in their homes. Places like Des Moines, Iowa have a temperature like -37°F (-38°C) which can cause frostbite in less than five minutes, according to the National Weather Service, reported Sky News.

Record-breaking cold gripped the US along with white-out conditions in some areas and ferocious winds in others — while a “bomb cyclone” hit portions of the nation. A “bomb cyclone” is created when the atmospheric pressure drops quickly in a strong storm, according to the New York Post.