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At least 55 deaths have now been linked to a string of winter storms that pummeled the U.S., bringing relentless winter weather to nearly every corner of the country.
Multiple systems made up of heavy wind, snow and ice forced school closures, turned roads treacherous and wreaked havoc on travel.
(MORE: Much Of The Country Is Seeing Miserable Weather)
What to know:
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed at least 17 people were killed in some part due to the storms.
Car and truck accidents were blamed for several of the deaths.
“Roads were iced and snowed over, so there was no traction,” weather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles said. “People should not have been out driving on untreated roads.”
One victim of the storm died from a fall as he tried to clean snow off the roof of his business. Another man was found outside near a cliff at a state park. The Associated Press reports at least one victim was found unresponsive in their home from hypothermia.
Kentucky reported five deaths from the freezing weather according to a statement from Governor Andy Beshear.
In Oregon, three people were killed when a power line fell on their car. Ice storms brought down trees and caused outages across the state.
(MORE: What To Do If A Power Line Falls On Your Car)
The governor declared a State of Emergency Thursday night, as thousands remained without power in freezing temperatures.
Extreme cold was blamed for at least seven deaths - five in Washington state and two in Louisiana.
“The colder the temperature of the air, the faster the human body will lose heat and try to compensate for the heat loss by shutting down blood flow throughout the body,” said Belles. “Hypothermia can cause issues in temperatures as warm as 40 degrees, and frostbite can occur in less than 30 minutes time.”
(MORE: How To Avoid Frostbite And Hypothermia)
What’s coming next:
There is hope on the horizon. Forecasters predict a temperature whiplash as freezing conditions start to thaw and we see more mild winter weather make its way across the country.
You can read more about what to expect where you live here.
(MORE: Here’s When Things Will Finally Start Warming Up)
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