„Cyclone bomb“ claims lives – at least 38 people killed in the ice storm in the US (VIDEO)

At least 38 people have died in an ice storm that has swept across nine US states in recent days, according to the new official death toll. Many were killed in road accidents caused by ice and poor visibility.

Due to bad weather, tens of thousands of Americans spent Christmas in the dark due to power outages. More than 150,000 people were left without electricity, and some rail lines were canceled over the weekend.

At least 13 people died in New York State alone, where snow drifts reached up to three meters high in some places.

In neighboring Canada, there is also an ice storm.

Forecasters said that on Friday, December 24 alone, 71 centimeters of snow fell in Buffalo, and last month a record 1.8 meters of snow was measured in the surrounding area, which also fell during the previous winter storm.

The current storm is almost unprecedented in its scope: from the Great Lakes on the Canadian border to the Rio Grande along the US-Mexico southern border. About 60 percent of the US population is experiencing difficulties, and the temperature is drastically below normal, the National Weather Service announced.

Meteorologists announced that a „bomb cyclone“ has developed near the Great Lakes—when atmospheric pressure drops very rapidly during a severe storm—which caused blizzards and strong winds.

Residents of western New York State often see dramatic lake-effect blizzards – when cold air that picks up moisture from warm water moves over land where it then drops heavy snow. But even residents of that area say the storm is now extremely dangerous.

SOURCE: N1 PHOTO: BBC