Authorities recorded nearly 100 deaths related to the frigid winter weather across the United States that has lasted for more than a week.
The death toll has been a compilation of reports made by state officials, police departments, medical examiners, and news media outlets. Officials expect that number to grow as they scramble to assess the death toll from the bitter chill, frozen roads, and high winds.
Winter Weather Deaths
Winter weather in the United States continue to pummel states and has resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 people.
The situation is particularly difficult to assess in parts of the country that are not used to extended periods of deep freeze. On Monday, a man in Tennessee died after falling through a skylight while he was working to clear snow from the roof of a business building.
In Pennsylvania on Tuesday, five women from the same family were killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer. It happened a few moments after they had convened on the side of a snowy highway following a separate accident, as per the New York Times.
In Oregon, a tree branch that was weakened by wind and ice took down a live power line on Wednesday killing two adults and a teenager. In particular, Tennessee suffered a particularly high number of fatalities.
At least 27 people in the state appear to have lost their lives from weather-related causes, including hypothermia, falls, and traffic accidents. In the state of Oregon, at least 11 people were reported to have died of weather-related causes, including the three people who were killed by the power line.
Last week, the two states declared a state of emergency, similar to Kentucky, where at least five people lost their lives during the cold snap. In a statement, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Friday urged people to take time to check on their loved ones and other acquaintances to make sure that they have what they need to stay safe and warm.
In many areas of the United States, tens of thousands of people are still without power due to the effects of the winter storm. Authorities are also expecting the weather to continue until the middle of the week, according to BBC.
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Dangerous Conditions
While the death toll across the country has been recorded as the highest in Tennessee and Oregon, fatalities have also been reported in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Washington, Kentucky, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere.
The weather in Mississippi prompted officials to warn drivers to "drive only if necessary" and to be "aware of black ice" on the state's roads. Furthermore, colleges and universities in the state delayed students' return from winter break due to the dangerous conditions,
Tens of millions of people were battered with bitterly cold, below-average temperatures on Saturday and people in the eastern half of the country will likely experience some of the coldest weather yet this season.
Experts recommend layering up if people need to go outside using caution while operating devices such as space heaters and keeping an eye out for symptoms of serious conditions. In a statement, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, Molly McCollum said that arctic air will mix with moisture from the Gulf to create an icy mess from Oklahoma to Illinois, said CBS News.
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