A violent winter storm has paralyzed parts of the USA. The Midwest and the Northwest of the country were particularly affected, as US media reported on Friday. Around one million households and businesses were temporarily without electricity because freezing rain, storms and falling trees damaged the lines.

Michigan was particularly hard hit, where, according to the poweroutage.us site, around 725,000 customers still had no electricity on Friday night (local time). In the state, a firefighter was also killed by a falling power line. Nationwide, around 60 million people were temporarily subject to severe weather warnings. In some areas of Wyoming about one meter of snow fell, in Montana it was about 80 centimeters. The channel CNN spoke of "brutal winter storms".

Air traffic affected

The cold front also affected air traffic. On Thursday alone, around 2000,4000 flights were reportedly cancelled, and almost <>,<> were delayed. In many places, roads were also impassable due to snow and slippery, as it was further said.

On Friday, the "unusually cold and slow-moving winter storm" will bring very heavy snowfall and winds to the state of California, the weather service said. For the first time in decades, a Blizzard warning applies to parts of the often sun-drenched US state. Violent snowstorms with strong temperature drops in North America are called blizzards. Persistent strong winds can obstruct visibility during heavy snowfall.

The meteorologists also warned of flooding in southern California. In other regions, the heavy snowfall and icy winds would gradually subside. The "record-breaking heat" in the southeast, such as in Florida, is now over – but temperatures remained above the norm.

The onset of winter also led to a postponement on the first matchday of the US Soccer League. The game of Sporting Kansas City with the German professionals Erik Thommy, Tim Leibold and Robert Voloder at the Portland Timbers was postponed from Saturday to Monday, as the clubs announced on Thursday.