A winter storm swept across the Lower 48 states on Friday, triggering severe weather warnings and causing numerous fatalities and injuries. The storm brought extreme Arctic front, which resulted in thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds in the South, freezing temperatures and blizzard warnings in the Midwest, and heavy rainfall in the East.
In Idaho, two men were rescued from an avalanche, but a third body was found near Stevens Peak. The deceased was identified as Corey Zalewski, a graduate from Whitworth College. In Wisconsin, a man died while snowplowing his driveway, and in Chicago, another man died from cold exposure.
The storm also disrupted air travel, with over 2,000 flights being canceled on Friday due to the winter weather. The impact of the storm extended to Alaska Airlines, which extended its cancellation of Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights due to a technical issue.
As the storm persisted into Saturday morning, high winds left tens of thousands without power. We Energies, which services Wisconsin and parts of Michigan, reported that nearly 90,000 customers were still without power on Saturday afternoon.
The winter storm proved to be deadly and disruptive, causing fatalities, injuries, flight cancellations, and power outages across several states. The severe weather warnings and the subsequent impact on various aspects of life call for continued vigilance and preparedness for such extreme weather events.