New winter storm hits the United States

10:20

By: Sahili Aya

A new winter storm swept across the United States on Saturday, bringing rare snowfall to parts of the southeastern coastline and an intense Arctic cold wave expected to reach as far south as Florida, according to US weather services.

The event comes barely a week after a powerful snowstorm disrupted travel across large parts of the country, from Texas to Washington, leaving major transport networks paralyzed and causing widespread damage.

Meteorologists say the current system combines two major phenomena. Snowfall is forecast along the Atlantic coast from Saturday into Sunday, particularly in North and South Carolina, while a surge of polar air is pushing freezing temperatures across much of the eastern United States through Monday.

As an Arctic air mass continues to move southward, a coastal storm system is forming along the Atlantic seaboard. It could trigger snowfall as far south as Georgia and blizzard conditions in parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a region more commonly associated with beaches than snow.

Local authorities have declared a state of emergency in some coastal counties and urged residents to limit travel. The storm may also bring strong winds and coastal flooding.

Meanwhile, unusually cold temperatures are forecast for the Deep South, with parts of southern Florida expected to experience freezing conditions not seen in decades. The cold snap has already forced the postponement of a major rocket test at Cape Canaveral.

In northern states, temperatures remained well below freezing, while tens of thousands of households in the South were still without electricity following last weekend’s storm. Emergency shelters have been opened, and National Guard units have been mobilized in some areas.

Scientists increasingly point to climate change as a possible factor in disruptions of the polar vortex, a large system of cold air that normally remains confined to the Arctic.