NY governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency ahead of a major winter storm triggered by the “polar vortex,” now sweeping into the eastern US. The state could see as much as 36 inches of snow and wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero.
American vessel the Polar Star, the US Coast Guard's only active heavy polar icebreaker, is heading to the Antarctic to rescue over 120 crewmembers aboard Russian and Chinese ships trapped in heavy sea ice.
The American Midwest and Northeast have braced for a "polar vortex," a megastorm that is expected to bring record low temperatures on Monday. So far extreme weather conditions have claimed at least 16 lives, paralyzed travel and caused power shortage.
Coastal areas in the south and west of the UK have been swept with waves of up to 10 meters (30 feet) high, causing flooding and destruction. With around a hundred flood warnings active on Saturday, the country could yet expect more severe storms.
Nine people reportedly died in accidents or froze to death after New Year’s storm brought howling winds, drifting snow and frigid temperatures to the northeastern US state of Massachusetts. The weather prompted the National Guard to be put on standby.
With the new year still only hours old, the Northeastern United States is ringing it in with a major winter storm that’s threatening to upend travel plans and create dangerous driving conditions in numerous states.
The passengers from the Russian scientific research vessel Akademik Shokalsky have celebrated New Year in the ice. The ship remains stuck off the coast of Antarctica, with a Chinese rescue vessel also reportedly being in trouble.
Snow showers, strong winds and poor visibility are hampering the rescue mission of an Australian icebreaker to reach the Russian scientific research vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy, stuck in sea ice off the coast of Antarctica since Christmas Day.
An Australian rescue vessel trying to reach the Russian ship, MV Akademik Shokalskiy, trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve, after Chinese and French icebreakers failed to get through heavy sea ice.