Ottawa, Europe Brief News – A powerful storm has hit the US and Canada over the past two days.
More than 200 million people have been warned on one of the busiest travel days of the year, while a million are without power as high winds cause blackouts.
Major airports have cancelled thousands of flights as the storm intensifies.
Temperatures could plunge as low as -70F (-57C) in some parts of the country, forecasters have said.
Experts warn this could lead to frostbite within five to 10 minutes.
Deaths reported
In Fort Worth, Texas, a man who’s thought to have been homeless died after being found outside in the bitter cold. He was in an unresponsive state and taken to hospital, but later died. An official cause has not yet been determined.
The weather also appears to have played a role in a fatal crash in Kansas City, Missouri, where a minivan crashed into an icy creek. Rescuers began CPR on the victim and rushed them to hospital, but they did not survive.
Three fatal crashes were also reported in the state of Kansas on Wednesday, including one on a major highway that claimed the life of a 21-year-old man and injured the teenage driver of the car
Other US media report on the death of an 84-year-old man in Nebraska, said to have lost control of his vehicle due to road conditions.
