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Heavy snow and frigid Arctic blast put 70 million across US under winter storm warnings

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A worker spreads salt before a winter storm affects the area in New York's Times Square on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Much of the eastern half of the US will this week experience some of the coldest temperatures this winter, if not for several years

Tens of millions of residents along the East Coast are bracing for several inches of snow on Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures that will take hold in much of the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine.

Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service have already gone into effect for parts of the mid-Atlantic until Monday morning, with the forecast projecting up to half a foot (15cm) of snow. Warnings will begin in New England on Sunday afternoon, with parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut seeing as much as 10 inches (25cm) of snow.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm hazards warning in the coming days including in New England and the mid-Atlantic. Large cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see several inches of snow this evening with the highest totals being outside major cities.

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“There will certainly be some more hazardous road conditions anywhere from DC up the whole I-95 corridor and then inland from there later today and tonight,” Chenard said. “Then it gets quite cold behind that. By Monday morning, any roads that haven’t been treated or cleared will still likely be some hazardous travel conditions.”

But the snow is just the start of a chaotic week of weather.

Much of the eastern half of the United States will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter, if not for several years.

An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal temperatures starting on Sunday into the coming week, with temperatures dropping to to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 48 degrees Celsius) on Sunday and Monday. Wind chills of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius) were already being clocked in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

The cold weather forecast for Monday for Washington prompted US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony to be moved inside the US Capitol Rotunda.

“It’s going to be a cold day in Washington, DC on Monday. That’s for sure,” Chenard said, noting temperatures will be in the 20s with wind gust upwards of 30mph (48km/h).

As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.

The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the Central and Eastern US will still be cold with highs in the teens and 20s Fahrenheit on Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said.

The mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) and wind chills below zero.

The colder temperatures will reach down into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting on Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected to start in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.

A combination of frigid air with a low pressure system over the Gulf are behind the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi and a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency in advance of the wintry weather. He encouraged residents to be prepared and to monitor the weather forecast.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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What Happened in Ibom Air Almost Happened in Enugu Air: Consequences of No Consequence!

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“On an Enugu Air flight to Lagos from Abuja this morning, August 16th, another mild drama played out briefly.

 

As the plane taxied, the pilot, a female captain, announced that there was a recalcitrant passenger who had declined switching off his phone as instructed, and that if the fellow insisted, she might be left with no option but to make a U-turn.

At this point, she had stopped on the runway.

 

Hearing this warning, other passengers took it upon themselves and started shouting at this potentially disruptive passenger. Eventually, he turned off his phone, and the journey to Lagos continued.

 

But here is why this piece became compelling and timely. While the purser, a calm and well-mannered lady, was appealing to him to turn off his phone and he refused, hear what he said to her: “Wetin happen for Ibom Air go happen for here now now.”

 

That’s the result of having a poor reward and sanction system with no consequences. If those who had tried this nonsense had faced the penalties for their action and not the shameful “slap on the wrist” punishment meted out to them, another irreverent passenger would not open his mouth and say, “Wetin happen for Ibom Air go happen for here now now.”

 

No serious nation tramples on its own laws or chooses when to enforce them or not and against whom. The two recent breaches in air safety protocols and their handling have shown how unserious we are as a people and also why our leadership will continue to create strong people as against strong institutions. It is a conscious decision. It has never been an accident.

 

With the disastrous handling of the K1 and the K2 matters, even though no attention was given to the incident tagged K3, a template has been created already and it will haunt the Aviation Sector for a long time to come. The shame is not just for the leadership. The people, too, share a large chunk of it as intentional enablers of bad behaviours.

 

Fans and supporters of the Fuji king are now buying similar gold flasks as a form of solidarity with him, displaying it with arrogance of “na we dey power.” Also, practically every money-miss-road, including government officials, had offered “Auntie Komfo” one form of comfort or the other, obviously because…

 

But such people will never offer similar encouragement to outstanding students in any field or institution. We celebrate silly things and reward bad behaviours at the expense of more edifying tangibles and intangibles.

 

Indeed, Nigeria and her people are a case study in human civilisation”.

 

Olaleye Olawale

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Veteran Nollywood Actor Clem Ohameze Vows to Arrest Okwuluora for Attempting to Raise Funds for His Health

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 Veteran Nollywood actor Clem Ohameze broke down in tears during a live video broadcast, passionately denying false reports about his health and family spread by Okwuluora.

Ohameze stated that Okwuluora publicly claimed he was gravely ill, abandoned by his son, and solely reliant on his daughter’s care, while simultaneously attempting to solicit funds on his behalf without authorization.

Denouncing these actions as damaging to his reputation, Ohameze emphatically vowed to pursue legal action and have Okwuluora arrested.

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Driver abandons SUV, flees after killing tricycle passenger

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An unknown driver of a Lexus SUV on Saturday morning rammed into a tricycle, killing one of the passengers instantly while other occupants sustained varying degrees of injury.

The SUV driver escaped the accident scene with other occupants of the vehicle after the incident, which occurred at Peoples Club by Limca Road, Obosi, close to Onitsha.

Police authorities in the state have confirmed the incident, saying that the deceased was quickly evacuated to the morgue while those who sustained injuries were taken to hospital for treatment.

Spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said the area has also been condoned off to avoid violence, while the abandoned SUV has been recovered.

He said in a statement that the Anambra State Police Command has commenced investigation into the fatal motor accident.

Parts of the statement read: “The accident occurred in the early hours of today, 16th August 2025, at People’s Club/Limca Road, Obosi, involving a Lexus Jeep and two tricycles popularly known as Keke.

“Police operatives attached to Isiowulu Division quickly responded, secured the area, recovered the abandoned vehicle, and evacuated the victims to a hospital, where one was later confirmed dead.

“Preliminary information at the disposal of the Command reveals that the driver of the Lexus Jeep rammed into the tricycles, resulting in the unfortunate death of one occupant.

“Others sustained varying degrees of injury. The vehicle was subsequently abandoned at the scene as its occupants fled.”

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident and appealed to residents of the area to remain calm and cooperate with the police, as efforts are being intensified to unravel the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

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