MONKS — A severe frost covers several regions of the northern United States this Friday, with a snowfall that makes transportation difficult in states like Iowa, where the Republican Party candidates face the first test of the electoral calendar for this year’s presidential elections on Monday.
Meteorologists warned that “dangerously cold arctic air” and snow storms could affect millions of people in the northern region of the country, with expectations that thermometers will fall to -40ºC and that the wind will intensify the thermal sensation.
He Extreme weather is making life difficult for Republican candidates Ron DeSantis y Nikki Haleyin the midst of a campaign to win votes in the Iowa caucus, considered the kickoff of the electoral calendar for the 2024 presidential elections in the United States.
“We want everyone to be safe,” DeSantis told reporters at his campaign base in Des Moines, the state capital.
Schedule adjustment
“We had to adjust the agenda, but we are working hard,” added the conservative governor of Florida, and challenger to Donald Trump, a big favorite to win the party’s nomination.
Haley, placed third and who had planned a series of virtual meetings on Friday, implored the population in Iowa to go to the polls on Monday, despite the brutal weather conditions, in the regional vote that is known for being an electoral rehearsal and give signals about who will assume the party’s candidacy.
“I know it will be -15ºF (-26ºC) on Monday. I don’t even know what that means. I literally don’t understand it, but I will be on the street and I want you there,” the former South Carolina governor said Thursday.
Although Haley and DeSantis are at full steam in Iowa, the big favorite, Donald Trump, leads them by a wide margin in the fight for the Republican nomination.
Looking ahead to the presidential elections, Americans choose in a series of regional elections the candidate who will represent them from each party at the polls in November.
Transportation problems
This Friday, several centimeters of snow were expected to cover Iowa, and the National Weather Service (SMN) warned of dangerous road conditions.
“Dangerous cold temperatures accompany this storm, making travel more risky,” the office said.
Authorities warned that poor visibility and accidents were causing traffic jams.
Images on social networks show white blankets in Iowa and Nebraska.
With the expectation of new climate records, the SMN also warned that “icy winds of this type can cause frostbite on exposed skin in a few minutes.”
More than 2,700 flights were canceled nationwide, including about 400 at the Chicago airport, according to flightaware.com, which compiles the information.
Brutal winter weather also threatens important American Football League games this weekend.
The western United States is also bracing for a snowfall, as a storm system collides with frigid air from the Arctic.
The forecast is that quite a bit of snow could accumulate in regions of Oregon, Idaho and Utah.
The storms come after extreme weather conditions impacted much of the United States earlier this week, causing deaths and chaos on the power grid, leaving hundreds of homes and businesses in the dark.
Source: With information from AFP
