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TRANSCRIPT
Cries of glee, as an impromptu snowball fight breaks out in Washington DC, after a massive winter storm swept across large parts of the United States on Sunday, bringing heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures to southern and eastern states.
Calling the storm “historic”, US President Donald Trump approved weather emergencies in seventeen states and the District of Columbia over the weekend.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker says the emergency declaration will remain in place for as long as dangerous conditions continue, urging residents to stay off the roads.
“The city remains under a snow emergency that began at 9PM last night. As of this moment, there is no update on when we anticipate lifting those restrictions as we still have more hours of precipitation to navigate and to clear.”
More than a million people were without power across impacted areas on Sunday, including at least 330,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi and Louisiana.
The intense storm has caused at least 11,000 flight cancellations, and more than 13,000 delays, with airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey especially hard-hit.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the state is bracing for the longest cold stretch and highest snow totals it has seen in years, with parts of New York city already under 11 inches of snow.
“This is certainly the coldest weather we've seen. The coldest winter storm we've seen in years and truly New York State is locked into a a grip here. A sort of an Arctic siege has taken over our state and many other states across the nation and the snowstorm we're expecting is now underway but it is it is brutal. It is bone chilling and it is dangerous.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reported before the snow had even begun to fall, at least five New Yorkers had died, likely as a result of the cold.
He said while their causes of death had not been confirmed, his administration was working to ensure all who are vulnerable to the extreme weather have shelter and warmth.
“We have sufficient resources to shelter every New Yorker in this city. And our teams are scouring the streets, providing outreach. Our administration has opened ten warming centers in school buildings across the city, two in each borough. And they will be operational through at least tomorrow evening. Food will be provided at each of these sites. That is in addition to the 126 shelters, over 50 hospitals and 35 safe havens where people in need can come in and get warm.”
Mayor Mamdani also announced schools would be closed, and classes held virtually on Monday.
“Due to extreme weather conditions, tomorrow will be a remote school day. There will be no in-person instruction. All after school programs, adult education and school-based programming has been cancelled. And I know that this may disappoint some students, so if you do see me, feel free to throw a snowball at me.”
While the streets might be quieter than usual, the weather hasn't stopped all New Yorkers from venturing out.
“Everybody' s out. I got up this morning. I went to get a bagel, a New York bagel. But this is really crazy. I can barely even see. I was thinking, I need to bring some goggles or something.”
Others welcoming the novelty of seeing their city blanketed in deep snow.
“I'm having a blast. It's freezing. All my roommates weren't brave enough to join me, but I really wanted to run around in the snow a little bit. It's really cold, really sharp. I love it.”
“Oh, I love it. We don't get so many of them in New York, so I just had to come out and enjoy the... just the barrenness of it, I guess - and the beauty, it's great.”
1000 kilometres south of New York, residents of Charlotte in North Carolina are also enjoying the rare heavy snowfall.
“Work is cancelled tonight so I'm going to be at home tonight. Hopefully, the power won't go out but it's about time it snowed here. We didn't get a white Christmas but we got a white January. “
But the National Weather Service has urged caution, warning the storm is expected to continue to bring dangerous conditions to large swathes of the country in coming days.
Heavy snow is forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, including up to 18 inches in New England, and much of the Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic are expected to experience heavy rain and ice.
Forecasters are predicting the snowfall and ice to be followed by bitterly cold temperatures and "dangerously cold wind chills" which could bring prolonged hazards and disruptions to travel and infrastructure.
The advice to many is to hunker down and prepare for several days of wild conditions, and likely further power outages.
