The bitter blizzard blanketing much of America has frozen Portland, Oregon, to the point where ice rinks are no longer passable.
The Portland Winter Ice Rink abandoned skaters Saturday as subzero temperatures gripped the city.
Oregon skaters weren’t the only ones staying indoors over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, as a number of attractions and businesses were forced to close their doors as the city braced for more than two inches of snow.
It comes amid a perfect storm of severe weather gripping America from coast to coast, with heavy snowfall in the Midwest, flooding in the Northeast and tornadoes in the South.
The bitter snowstorm blanketing much of America has frozen Portland, Oregon, to the point where rinks are no longer skateable
Heavy ice accumulations are forecast to blanket Portland through the holiday weekend
A parked car is damaged by a fallen tree in southeast Portland on Saturday, January 13, as a severe storm rages through the city
The storm barreling through the Northwest has killed at least one person after a man was caught in an avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe resort in Lake Tahoe.
Further north, in Portland, the city continues to be battered by snow and sleet, with wind chill temperatures dropping well below freezing.
Portland Community College and Portland State University closed their campuses this weekend, while all community centers and classes in the city have also been postponed.
Forecasters have warned that the worst of the storm may be yet to come for Oregon and Washington, where Arctic wind chill will warn residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
At some point last week, all fifty states in America were under some form of weather warning as the storm’s path stretched along the Pacific Northwest and into the Great Plains.
At one point Thursday, a wind warning stretched nearly 2,000 miles from Texas to New England.
Several cities, including Chicago, braced for up to a foot of snow as the storm moved into the Midwest on Thursday, with Chicago O’Hare Airport grounding all flights on Friday due to freezing temperatures.
O’Hare was joined by Dallas-Ft. Worth and Denver, the three airports, together canceled more than 1,000 flights and were the hardest hit, with more than 3,600 grounded across the country last week.
Average departure delays at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were 77 minutes, the Chicago Department of Aviation said early Monday; Crews are working in Chicago on Monday to defrost an American Airlines plane at O’Hare International Airport
Zach Brobst shovels in his driveway after a snowstorm left several inches of snow in Clive, Iowa, on Tuesday
People stand on a large snow pile in Oskaloosa, Iowa on Tuesday
The Iowa Department of Administrative Services plows snow in the Capitol parking lot as snowstorms hit Des Moines on Friday
In a chilling warning, forecasters said the storm front may strengthen as it moves east throughout the week, due to atmospheric energy combined with frigid air from Canada.
This will see North Dakota reach a high of zero degrees through early next week, while tornadoes continue to threaten a string of southern states from Texas to the Carolinas.
Heavy rains have washed away roads and toppled trees and power lines. Wind gusts reached a speed of 95 km/h.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm. Many streets and roads were flooded and rivers rose after up to two inches of rain fell in some areas since Tuesday night. The rain fell a few weeks ago on ground saturated by another storm.
Murphy said 56,000 homes were without power and hundreds of accidents and highway emergencies were reported, but there were no storm deaths. He said people often ignore flood warnings to their peril.
“And we saw during Storm Ida that people had to pay with their lives by driving their cars onto a street they weren’t supposed to be on, or staying in their homes when they shouldn’t have,” Murphy said in a statement. interview with CBS New York.
Floodwaters can be seen here Wednesday morning along Washington Avenue in Highlands, New Jersey
Water rises in a residential neighborhood in the aftermath of a storm in Piermont, New York, on Wednesday
In South Carolina, shocking footage captured the moment a massive tornado struck the small community of Bamberg County, South Carolina.
The tornado, rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, left a trail of destruction as images of the aftermath showed rocks and debris scattered across the street after two buildings were struck by the tornado.
Presidential candidate and former S.C. Governor Nikki Haley, who grew up in the area, also made a statement in response to the tornado.
The Republican said, “My heart breaks to hear about the storm damage in my dear hometown of Bamberg, SC. The people of Bamberg are strong and resilient.
“They taught me the meaning of neighbors helping neighbors. I know that with love and prayer, they will rebuild stronger than before.”
Images of the tornado’s aftermath showed downed trees and power lines in Bamberg, SC
Fallen rocks along the main road, a day after a tornado hit the town of Bamberg
Are those snow boots or the other one? Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen here tiptoeing through the snow in Iowa on Friday ahead of Monday’s caucuses
Forecasters have warned that severe weather conditions will continue as the Midwest prepares for another round of snow, while the Northeast heads for another storm to hit early next week.
The weather is also causing some disruption for Republican candidates campaigning ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
Nikki Haley’s campaign canceled three Friday events and said “telephone town halls” would take place. Ron DeSantis’ campaign postponed the events in Marshaltown and Clear Lake.