Freezing cold sweeps across North America and Europe, killing several people

North America and parts of Europe are experiencing the coldest spell in decades. Several people have died from the cold.

Extreme cold and heavy snowfall have left several people dead here and forced the cancellation of a long list of New Year's celebrations.

Although Canadians are used to the cold, temperatures dropping below zero degrees Celsius in many places have forced a series of New Year's celebrations in this country to be canceled for safety reasons due to the harsh weather conditions at the end of the year.

Heavy snowfall in North America. Photo: AP.

In two central Canadian cities, Regina and Winnipeg, temperatures dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, in the capital Ottawa, authorities announced the postponement of several events marking the end of the country's 150th anniversary year.

Culture Canada announced that events scheduled for December 30 and the night of December 31 have also been adjusted to accommodate extreme cold weather warnings and public health and safety concerns. Concerts on December 31 have been largely cancelled, but the New Year's fireworks show will go ahead as planned. The "Canada 150" ice hockey tournament, which was scheduled to be held outside Parliament House, has also been moved indoors.

Not only cultural events are affected, but also entertainment venues familiar to Canadians during the holidays have had to adjust their opening hours. The Bromont ski resort in Quebec province was closed from 3:30 p.m. (local time) on December 29 due to potentially hazardous weather and at the request of the Quebec Hydroelectric Plant to reduce energy demand during peak times.

The resort will reopen on December 30, but only a few of its slopes will be open. Another resort, Mont Orford, east of Montreal, has also had to limit its hours for the same reason.

The Canadian Weather Service continues to maintain extreme cold weather warnings in six of the country's 10 provinces.

Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing its coldest spell in decades. The freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have led to several deaths and a long list of New Year’s celebrations have been canceled. The Midwest and East Coast are facing major weather-related problems. There have been several cold-related deaths and less-than-stellar New Year’s celebrations.

The cold air from the Arctic is freezing waterfalls, shattering windows and threatening the lives of people who have been outside for just 30 minutes. Forecasters are warning people to wear layers of clothing to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that can occur when exposed to the cold Arctic air.

Many New Year's Eve plans are being reconsidered. Towns in New Jersey have canceled their traditional North Atlantic beach event, and organizers have reduced the number of New Year's lights in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Some entertainment and fireworks shows have also been canceled in other parts of the country.

In the UK, on ​​December 29, Glasgow airport was forced to close for several hours due to heavy snowfall. Many flights were diverted to Edinburgh airport, causing inconvenience to passengers.

According to the British Weather Forecast Agency, by the evening of December 29 (Vietnam time), in just 2 hours, a 10cm thick layer of snow covered a terminal near Glasgow airport, causing many flights to be canceled. This was also one of the areas with the heaviest snowfall of the day in the UK.

“We have been waiting for three hours since my flight was cancelled, but no one has told us when we can fly again. It’s terrible, I’m trying to book another flight, but it could get worse, it could be another 10 hours,” said one stranded passenger at the airport.

Previously, due to the snowfall, many flights at Stansted and Luton airports near London were canceled or delayed. The heavy snowfall also caused nearly 40,000 British households to lose power. British authorities warned people in cold regions to stock up on fuel, warm clothes, blankets, food and water, and to consider carefully when leaving the house in such bad weather conditions./.

According to VOV