Warning of bitterly cold days ahead for areas of US as record snow hits

Wed, 27 Dec, 2017 - 14:55

Forecasters in the US warned of sub-zero arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills across much of the country as snow continued to pile up in one city which already has nearly 63ins on the ground.

A storm in Erie, Pennsylvania, brought 34ins of snow on Christmas Day, an all-time daily snowfall record, and another 24.5ins by Tuesday night.

Folks in the Erie, Pennsylvania, area are used to getting a lot of snow, but they've never seen anything like this. https://t.co/QkZft7MGtS pic.twitter.com/maifh999GE
— CNN Social Desk (@CNNSocialDesk) December 26, 2017

More than 62.9ins have fallen on the city since December 23, with an additional 2-4ins predicted on Wednesday.

The city issued a snow emergency, citing "dangerous and impassable" roads, and asked residents to stay off the streets.

State police and the state's department of transportation urged people to avoid travel, citing poor visibility and deteriorating conditions.

Erie county executive Kathy Dahlkemper declared a disaster emergency to allow "needed resources to be obtained".

Wind chill advisories or warnings are in effect for all of North Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as large areas of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana.

Wind chill advisories were also in effect for parts of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.

Meteorologists warn frostbite is possible with as little as 30 minutes of exposure.

So, since 12 AM Christmas Day, #EriePA has gotten over 55 inches of snow. Their average for December and January COMBINED is just over 57 inches. Here's what Erie looks like right now: pic.twitter.com/NigHc79iGD
— Drew (@DrewMacFarlane) December 26, 2017