Schools and government offices across multiple regions of the U.S. have been forced to close following warnings from the National Weather Service. According to AFP, the death toll from the powerful winter storm ‘Blair’ in the central and eastern United States has risen to at least 14.
As reported by India Today, extreme weather conditions have led to widespread school closures in Chicago and Ohio. Many districts have also announced two-hour delays, anticipating worsening weather in the coming days. Wind chills in northeast-central Ohio and Chicago are expected to push temperatures down to 0 degrees.
Large parts of the U.S. remain blanketed in snow and ice, with high winds exacerbating the effects of the severe winter storm. Authorities have declared a state of emergency, with the governor urging residents to avoid traveling due to hazardous road conditions. The storm has significantly disrupted daily life and travel across the affected regions.
In its advisory on Monday, the National Weather Service warned that the cold weather system would impact a vast area, causing temperatures to plummet across the central plains, the eastern seaboard, and even as far south as the Gulf Coast.
