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Terrifying moment transformer EXPLODES into sparks on street – killing power in Kansas City as wind chill reaches frigid minus 32
- A power transformer exploded on the outskirts of Kansas City Thursday night.
- Extreme winds and freezing temperatures brought on by the devastating winter storm have caused power outages across the Midwest
- Snow, ice, and flooding have created dangerous conditions on US roadways, disrupting vacation travel for millions of people.
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This is the terrifying moment a power transformer bursts into sparks on a Missouri street as wild winds and sub-zero temperatures batter the Midwest.
The electrical box explosion triggered a large explosion that lit up the sky like fireworks Thursday night outside of Kansas City in the suburb of Liberty.
Nearby buildings were plunged into darkness after the power went out, just as temperatures dropped to chilling numbers.
More than 2,000 customers were affected by the mammoth storm, which left homes without heat in an area covered in snow and ice. In total, more than 1.5 million people across the country have lost power as winter weather causes widespread chaos.
An individual wrapped in a duvet as snow began to fall in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday.
Crews quickly arrived at the site of the explosion on Highway 291 Thursday night when the wind chill reached a shocking minus 32 degrees.
On Friday, wind chills are forecast to hit a low of minus 24 degrees in some parts of the state.
State emergencies have been declared in six states, including New York, as the storm blew east overnight and into Friday morning.
So far it has left two-thirds of the country under some form of extreme weather warning that includes strong winds, flooding and dramatic drops in temperature.
Power company Evergy reported Thursday that about 12,000 Midwestern customers were without power due to the storm, about 8,000 of whom were in the Wichita, Kansas, area.
One Topeka account claimed power went out in the neighborhood around 5:30 a.m. the day the storm hit.
Evergy crews arrived on site at 7:30 a.m. and power was restored at 10:45 a.m. as temperatures dropped below freezing.
Accidents and at least six deaths have been reported across the US as the storm travels from state to state, dramatically disrupting the vacation travel plans of millions of Americans.
Up to two-thirds of US flights are expected to be canceled or delayed. Amtrak train service and many bus lines reported changes and cancellations across the country Friday morning.
On Friday alone, around 10,000 US flights were delayed and more than 3,000 have been cancelled.
Footage from a police dash cam captured the dramatic explosion as the winter storm continues to jeopardize power in several regions of the US.
Evergy crews arrived on scene in a Topeka, Kansas neighborhood at 7:30 a.m. and power was restored at 10:45 a.m. as temperatures dipped below freezing.