While parts of UK, Ireland and France are suffering from heavy rainfall and strong winds, parts of Canada and the USA are bracing themselves for extreme cold temperatures that could potentially be some of the coldest on record. Temperatures for Kansas City are predicted to be as low as -22C. Wind chill factor could make some areas feel a cold as -51C.
Some areas have already seen 60cm of snow. Over 3,000 flights were cancelled yesterday, Monday 6 January 2014. Schools have been closed and the cold weather has been blamed for as many as 16 deaths so far.
In Skowhegan, central Maine, the cold weather resulted in the icing up of catch basins, where heavy rainfall would normally be able to drain away from roads and houses. Roads were blocked by flood water as dozens of cars were stranded. Emergency services have been trying to break through ice in the catch basins or flood ponds, so that the flood water could drain away. A fear now is that the water won’t drain away quickly enough before the freezing temperatures turn the whole town into an ice rink.
Meanwhile in Indianapolis, attention has already turned to the flood threat once the ice and freezing temperatures have passed. Forecasters believe that temperatures will swing back from the minuses to around 5C by Friday 10 January 2014. Warmer temperatures are likely to be accompanied by rain which is likely to melt the 30cm of snow currently covering much of the city. Weather service meteorologist Dan McCarthy says street flooding is likely as a result.
