Tag: Winter

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The U.S. Avoided a Massive Winter COVID-19 Surge. How? | Health News

The U.S. Avoided a Massive Winter COVID-19 Surge. How? | Health News

The predictions ranged, but some of the warnings had been stark: 100 million People in america could be contaminated with COVID-19 in what would be a large drop and winter season surge. Eventually, nevertheless, the U.S. ended up with its very first wintertime of the pandemic without a large wave of coronavirus.

“This wintertime there was no big surge related to what we have seen prior to,” claims Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the Institute for Wellness Metrics and Analysis at the College of Washington. “No significant improve in hospitalization or mortality. And that is legitimate across the Northern Hemisphere, wherever winter season is what we be expecting from now on as we will have a seasonal increase in COVID-19.”

It wasn’t a surge, but there was even now an enhance in COVID-19 about the winter. The weekly ordinary of COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked in January at over 41,000, in accordance to knowledge from the Centers for Sickness Control and Avoidance. It is more than three moments more compact than the surge last winter, when the U.S. saw the highest at any time variety of weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations at a lot more than 146,000.

Though hundreds of Americans are nonetheless dying from the coronavirus each working day, it is considerably less fatalities than the past two winters, which noticed thousands of day-to-day deaths. Weekly COVID-19 fatalities reached approximately 4,500 in January. Past winter season, weekly deaths peaked at about 17,000 in February 2022. The greatest at any time weekly loss of life rely arrived the winter season right before that, with a lot more than 23,000 documented in January 2021.

So what caused the fall-off in numbers? The major driver was the higher amount of COVID-19 immunity in the population, in accordance to authorities.

The vast greater part of Americans have some stage of immunity towards COVID-19 by an infection or vaccination or both. While immunity amounts wane over time, exploration demonstrates that security towards serious disorder and death lasts substantially lengthier than security against infection.

Cartoons on the Coronavirus

“The fact that the first omicron surge a year back was so large and so lots of folks received infected has presented a certain stage of immunity to the inhabitants,” says Shishi Luo, head of infectious illnesses for Helix, a corporation that supplies viral sequencing information to the CDC. “How prolonged that protection lasts is unclear, but it surely would have assisted with the most latest wintertime.”

Yet another contributing component: the lack of yet another Greek letter variant. New omicron subvariants look to emerge and acquire about every single several months, but as they say, the satan you know is much better than the devil you never.

Since omicron initially emerged and fueled the main coronavirus surge past wintertime, the U.S. has operate by various iterations of the variant: BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BQ.1.1, BQ.1 and most not too long ago XBB.1.5. The subvariants came with worries like superior immune escape abilities and rendered some COVID-19 therapies worthless.

But an fully new Greek letter variant has the likely to be significantly extra destructive. In the worst-scenario state of affairs, it could trigger additional critical ailment, ensuing in much more hospitalizations and deaths. Or it could make security presented by the COVID-19 vaccines and former an infection ineffective, dialing back populace immunity levels to close to zero.

“As lengthy as the variants carry on to descend from omicron, this type of wave would be the expected sample,” claims Luo. “No 1 definitely is aware of what would occur if something other than omicron have been to emerge.”

Experts underscored that surveillance of COVID-19 and how it is changing is of the utmost importance mainly because it could give a heads-up if a problematic new variant arrives down the line.

Just one variable that could have played a job in stopping disease on the specific degree but possible not throughout the complete inhabitants was people’s actions. Whilst numerous Us citizens have moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, some are continue to paying awareness to the headlines.

In accordance to a latest study from Kaiser Household Foundation, 46{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of older people said information of the “tripledemic” – the unfold of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV – built them additional most likely to take at minimum one particular protective measure, like putting on a mask in public or steering clear of substantial gatherings. Grown ups aged 65 and older were significantly more probably than young grown ups to get at the very least just one mitigation measure in excess of the wintertime. Underscoring the partisan divide that has described much of the pandemic, the survey identified that Democrats were being much more than two times as probably as Republicans to say the tripledemic this winter built them extra probably to choose at least 1 precautionary measure.

In addition, authorities usually agreed that the updated COVID-19 booster pictures were likely not a main reason for retaining a large wintertime surge at bay. Far too couple of People in america – just 16{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of the populace – took the shot, they claimed. One particular reason for the shot’s minimal uptake is probably how many individuals have currently been contaminated with the virus, in accordance to Mokdad.

“Too lots of folks did not get the fourth or fifth dose – relying on the place they are – simply just mainly because they acquired infected by omicron,” he suggests.

But gurus underscored the shot’s efficacy and the safety it provided on the particular person amount this fall and winter.

“I don’t consider it would have impacted the dynamics, but I think it was essential that it was out there for individuals who are at large hazard of serious disease to have that as a form of protection,” Luo suggests.

Wanting ahead, it’s unclear what this winter season without having a key COVID-19 wave signifies for long run winters. Gurus are hopeful that it could be the 1st of quite a few, but there are problems that it could make People in america complacent and gas an boost once immunity degrees have waned.

The Biden administration is eyeing a change to an once-a-year COVID-19 booster shot that would be supplied in the fall related to the flu shot. But Mokdad is worried that simply because the winter did not see a main surge and the bulk of People didn’t choose the updated booster shot, their incorrect takeaway concept from this winter season is that they are secure with no a further vaccine.

“The concept for numerous people following year is to shy absent from the vaccine,” Mokdad claims. So general public overall health officers, he claims, have a major obstacle forward of them to persuade a lot more People in america to get a booster shot up coming time all around.

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6 leading real estate economists and pros on what to expect from the housing market this winter

6 leading real estate economists and pros on what to expect from the housing market this winter

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Some aspiring homebuyers are in for some a great deal-desired aid. “Right now could look much more pleasing to some customers for the reason that, not long ago, the housing market has been cooling. Charges are dropping in quite a few regions, housing source is growing, sellers are giving far more concessions and mortgage costs are falling,” claims Jacob Channel, senior economist at LendingTree. (See the best property finance loan costs you may well get now listed here.)

But no question, right after swift escalations in dwelling price ranges and mortgage premiums in the previous couple a long time (nevertheless the two have eased not long ago), quite a few potential buyers are wary of what is to occur. So we requested economists and true estate professionals for their housing market place predictions this wintertime. 

Prediction 1: Property finance loan premiums will “continue their downward trek”

“With the Fed switching to a scaled-down level hike in February, house loan costs will continue on their downward trek and a reduce home loan fee improves affordability, bringing far more purchasers again to the market place,” suggests Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of true estate investigation at the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

For his section, Channel also states reduce rates also may well bring at least some potential buyers back. “There may well be a lot more consumer demand from customers assuming prices go on to fall, or at the pretty the very least do not start off climbing yet again, but it doesn’t seem like there is a higher likelihood that demand from customers will radically increase back again to the place it was at the commence of last calendar year. All in all, February’s housing industry will possible remain more helpful to prospective buyers than it was just a couple of months back,” claims Channel.

Kate Wood, property specialist at NerdWallet, delivers a related sentiment: “Buyers could possibly be additional inspired if costs appear to stabilize and individuals who have been priced out when fees speedily amplified last drop could be inclined to give household shopping for a different shot.”

Prediction 2: Residence rate gains will sluggish even further more

Realtor.com information demonstrates that the progress of median inquiring rates for properties nationwide eased back into solitary-digits in December for the initially time in 12 months and virtually held that pace transferring into January.

“The milestone of one-digit price expansion is seriously a continuation of the moderation that started in the summer season when charges ended up escalating at a rate of 18{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} yr more than calendar year,” suggests Danielle Hale, main economist at Realtor.com. The report reveals that the median price tag of houses for sale has amplified by 8.1{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} every year in January, which is a bit fewer than December’s advancement rate with the countrywide median list price tag remaining stable at $400,000 in January, down from a file significant of $449,000 in June.

Assume even slower development this month, claims Evangelou. “Home value gains will slow even additional in February. Mortgage loan costs are at last moving down, easing affordability, but a lot of customers proceed to be priced out of the marketplace, particularly initial time potential buyers,” states Evangelou.

That explained, rate adjustments will vary involving markets. “Markets with the major imbalance between supply and demand from customers will see better softness in selling prices, though for the the greater part of some others it is more a leveling out in charges,” claims Greg McBride, chief monetary analyst at Bankrate. 

Prediction 3: Buyers have far more area to negotiate

Hale states: “It will not be all irritation for buyers. A surging variety of residences for sale may perhaps not necessarily mean falling  dwelling charges, but it is enabling consumers to gain again a measure of negotiating energy and along with a longer time on sector when compared to a 12 months ago, prospective buyers are much more probable to see houses with a list cost that has been reduced underneath unique inquiring price,” states Hale.

Prediction 4: The market place is on a sluggish path to normalcy

“The housing market place is continuing its return back to a much more typical-hunting marketplace soon after the pandemic-fueled frenzy. We are significantly from out of the woods with the affordability disaster that has been weighing heavily on residence gross sales, but we are starting off to see some inexperienced shoots pushing up as price ranges and mortgage charges have fallen. That dip in home finance loan premiums has started to catch the attention of renewed curiosity from prospective buyers and sales are climbing yet again as opposed to past yr, but demand remains considerably reduce than the earlier two several years,” says Nicole Bachaud, senior economist at Zillow.

The suggestions, suggestions or rankings expressed in this short article are individuals of MarketWatch Picks, and have not been reviewed or endorsed by our industrial partners.

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U.S. winter COVID surge is mild and fading fast : Shots

U.S. winter COVID surge is mild and fading fast : Shots

Immunity People obtained via vaccination or through prior an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may perhaps account for the lighter than anticipated COVID surge in the U.S. this winter, scientists say.

David Ryder/Getty Illustrations or photos


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David Ryder/Getty Illustrations or photos

Immunity Us citizens acquired by means of vaccination or through prior an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may account for the lighter than predicted COVID surge in the U.S. this wintertime, researchers say.

David Ryder/Getty Images

This winter’s COVID-19 surge in the U.S. appears to be fading with out hitting almost as difficult as numerous had feared.

“I assume the worst of the winter season resurgence is more than,” claims Dr. David Rubin, who’s been tracking the pandemic at the PolicyLab at Children’s Healthcare facility of Philadelphia.

No one particular expected this winter’s surge to be as terrible as the previous two. But each the flu and RSV arrived roaring again genuinely early this fall. At the similar time, the most contagious omicron subvariant however took off just as the vacations arrived in late 2022. And most individuals have been performing like the pandemic was more than, which authorized all three viruses to unfold promptly.

So there had been huge fears of hospitals finding fully confused all over again, with several people having severely unwell and dying.

But which is not what transpired.

The White House plans to end COVID emergency declarations in May

“This virus continues to toss 210-mile-per-hour curve balls at us. And it appears to defy gravity or logic often,” states Michael Osterholm, who heads the Center for Infectious Disease Analysis and Plan at the College of Minnesota.

“People today all assumed we would see important transmission. Well, each and every time we imagine we have some rationale to believe that we know what it can be likely to do, it will not do that,” Osterholm suggests.

‘The worst’ of the surge of COVID, flu and RSV may possibly be above

Bacterial infections, hospitalizations and fatalities did increase in the U.S. after New Year’s. But the selection of individuals catching the virus and obtaining hospitalized and dying from COVID soon started to tumble all over again and have all been dropping now for weeks, according to the most current knowledge from the Facilities for Disease Management and Prevention.

The slide flu and RSV waves continue on to fade far too. And so the worst appears like it’s almost certainly over, quite a few community well being professionals say.

“I’m happy to say that we didn’t have as substantially of a crush of infections as numerous thought was attainable, which is incredibly welcome news,” claims Jennifer Nuzzo, who heads the Pandemic Centre at Brown College.

The major dilemma is: Why? Quite a few factors may possibly have performed a job.

A person probability could be that men and women averted crowds, wore a mask and took other safeguards a lot more than community health and fitness experts had expected they would. But that won’t truly surface to be the case.

May possibly ‘viral interference’ play a job?

A further possibility is “viral interference,” which is a concept that occasionally when a man or woman receives contaminated with one virus, their immune response might guard them from getting contaminated with a further virus. So maybe RSV and flu crowded out COVID in the same way COVID crowded out these other viral infections at a variety of periods around the final two yrs.

“At this stage, I believe that is extra of a guess rather than really strong proof,” Nuzzo says. “But if it is correct, that may well imply we could be a lot more inclined to viewing a rise in bacterial infections when those people viruses are not about.”

Nuzzo and other professionals suspect instead that the principal motive the COVID surge is ebbing is all the immunity we have all constructed up from prior infections, and/or the COVID vaccinations several of us have acquired.

“We have what I would connect with now a superior immunity barrier,” suggests Dr. Carlos Del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University who heads the Infectious Condition Society of The united states.

“Concerning vaccinations and prior an infection I assume all of us are in a unique position than we had been ahead of,” he states. “All of us, if not fully protected, we are to some degree superior safeguarded. And that immunologic wall is true.”

Why COVID-19 continues to be a considerable danger

But none of this indicates the region won’t have to worry about COVID any more. Much more than 400 individuals are nonetheless dying each and every day from COVID-19. That’s significantly much less than the countless numbers who died through the darkest days of the past two winter surges. But it can be nevertheless lots of more individuals than die from the flu each individual day, for illustration.

“Make no blunder: COVID-19 remains a sizeable general public overall health danger,” Nuzzo suggests. “That has not changed. And the truth that we are however losing hundreds of individuals a day to this virus is deeply troubling. So we should not have to accept that level of sickness and death that we are viewing.”

COVID-19 is a leading cause of death among children, but is still rare

William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan University of Public Health and fitness, agrees.

“It really is beyond issue that culture has moved into a phase where the pandemic is for most of us if not in excess of then certainly silent. And that’s a terrific thing. Extended may well it stay so,” Hanage says. “Is it the case that there is no preventable suffering? No. There is however preventable struggling and demise.”

Most of the individuals dying are aged, many of whom have not gained the latest booster from COVID-19. So receiving them boosted could aid a great deal. And the immunity the relaxation of us have built up could preserve fading. That indicates many of the relaxation of us might at some level need to have to get yet another booster to help further more lessen the menace from COVID.

Another wave of flu could however strike this yr, general public health and fitness industry experts notice, and the hazard proceeds that but one more new, even additional risky variant of SARS-CoV-2 could emerge.

“This virus isn’t finished with us nonetheless,” Osterholm says.

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Latest Updates on Impact of Winter Storms During Holiday Travel Period

Latest Updates on Impact of Winter Storms During Holiday Travel Period

Update: December 23, 2022 at 12:50 p.m. ET

Airlines canceled over 4,100 U.S. flights on Friday as the massive winter storm impacting much of the United States snarled airport operations and frustrated thousands of holiday travelers, according to FlightAware.com.

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Another 4,652 flights have been delayed, with the most impacted airports located in Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Detroit, Denver, Toronto, Portland, Vancouver, Washington D.C. and Cleveland.

According to Weather.com, Winter Storm Elliott has intensified into a bomb cyclone near the Great Lakes, bringing high winds, snow and blizzard conditions with it. Snow is being reported from the Great Lakes to the Appalachians and parts of northern New England.

Rain is also soaking much of the rest of the Northeast ahead of the fast-moving arctic cold front.

Update: December 23, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. ET

As travelers prepare for the holidays, Winter Storm Elliott is intensifying into a likely bomb cyclone near the Great Lakes. The system is bringing high winds, snow and blizzard conditions to place from the Northern Plains to New York.

Impacted areas are also bringing significant Great Lakes lakeshore flooding, coastal flooding to parts of the Northeast seaboard and dangerous travel impacts from a flash freeze to parts of the South and East.

According to FlightAware.com, there were 3,415 flight cancellations within, into or out of the United States on Friday so far, with over 1,700 additional delays. For Saturday, almost 200 additional flights have already been preemptively canceled due to the storms.

On Thursday, a total of 2,685 flights in the U.S. were canceled and another 11,160 were delayed.

The Severe winter weather has also caused Amtrak to make several service changes and cancelations in the Midwest and Northeast through December 25. These actions are taken with an abundance of caution and consultation with state transportation departments, host railroads, emergency managers and weather forecasters.

Travelers with reservations on trains that are being modified will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day.

Update: December 22, 2022 at 1:10 p.m. ET

United States President Joe Biden said the country faces “dangerous and threatening” storms ahead of the winter holiday travel period and warned that Americans hitting the road should do so immediately.

“It’s dangerous and threatening, it’s really very serious weather and it goes from Oklahoma all the way to Wyoming and Maine,” Biden said Thursday. “So, I encourage everyone to please heed local warnings.”

“If you all have travel plans, leave now, not a joke,” Biden continued. “I’m sending my staff. If they have plans to leave tomorrow, I’m telling them leave now.”

White House officials said the administration has already spoken to 26 state governors in impacted regions and will be briefed by FEMA and the National Weather Service.

Update: December 22, 2022 at 8:25 a.m. ET

As the Pacific Northwest continues to deal with the impact of Winter Storm Elliott, the storm continues to spread heavy snowfall, freezing rain and bone-chilling winds across the Midwest in what is likely to become a blizzard.

In addition to the storm conditions, a blast of Arctic air is forecast to plunge much of the country into bitter and dangerous cold temperatures. To combat the storm, airports and airlines have canceled and delayed flights.

According to FlightAware.com, there were 1,234 flight cancellations within, into or out of the United States on Thursday so far, with nearly 1,000 additional delays. For Friday, another 700-plus flights have already been preemptively canceled due to the storms.

Airports in Detroit, New York City, Chicago, Vancouver and Denver have been the most impacted so far.

Original Text

As travelers prepare to visit family and friends during the holiday travel period, Winter Storm Elliott is forecast to impact flight service and roads throughout the United States.

Add in another storm impacting travel in the Pacific Northwest, and this holiday is shaping up to be one filled with delays and cancellations during one of the year’s busiest periods.

The winter storm is tracking eastward toward the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes, where it will produce snow and high winds, including blizzard conditions, as it potentially grows into a bomb cyclone. Elliott will also bring strong winds and a possible flash freeze to parts of the Midwest, East and South.

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woods in winter snow forest

Data from AAA Travel predicted that 112.7 million people would journey 50 miles or more away from home from December 23 to January 2, an increase of 3.6 million people compared to last year. The survey also found that 102 million Americans will drive to their destinations, an increase of over two million people on the roads.

Air travel will see a 14 percent increase over last year, with nearly 7.2 million Americans expected to fly during the winter holiday travel period. AAA expects the number of people taking flights this year will almost match 2019 totals, when 7.3 million Americans traveled by air.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Thursday before Christmas is expected to be the busiest travel day of the week, with 47,554 scheduled flights. Friday has more than 44,300 flights scheduled.

In anticipation of the storm, many airlines have started issuing travel waivers, allowing passengers to reschedule their flights without change fees. AccuWeather experts believe as many as 5,000 flights could be delayed or canceled.

Major carriers in the U.S.—including American, Delta, Southwest and United—have issued travel advisories in the Pacific Northwest, Northwest Mountain, Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest and Central Plains regions.

Several major cities are being impacted by the storm waivers, including Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington D.C. and more.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here.

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Nearly every state to be impacted by a ‘once in a generation’ winter storm

Nearly every state to be impacted by a ‘once in a generation’ winter storm



CNN
 — 

A major winter storm and cold blast will impact nearly every state and bring what the National Weather Service is calling a “once in a generation type event” that will cripple travel on some of the busiest travel days of the year.

The strengthening storm will bring more than a foot of snow and possible blizzard conditions to the Midwest, as the weather service warns of “life-threatening” wind chills for millions.

More than 90 million people are under winter weather alerts and more than 87 million are under wind chill alerts. The alerts stretch across 37 states, dipping as far south as the Texas/Mexico border.

The number of people under winter alerts and wind chill alerts has grown to over 100 million people, or roughly a third of the US population, according to the National Weather Service.

The cold will stick around for Christmas weekend, making this the coldest Christmas in roughly 40 years for portions of the Plains and Midwest.

LIVE UPDATES ON THE WINTER STORM FOR THURSDAY

Wednesday: The storm will strengthen over the Northern Plains through the day as heavy snow falls across much of the Rockies, the Northern Plains and into the Midwest. Slick roads will lead to travel headaches and airport delays through places like Minneapolis, Omaha and Rapid City.

This system will bring 5 to 9 inches of light fluffy snow across the region, with “the highest amounts just north and west of the Twin Cities,” said the weather service office in Twin Cities. While snow will steadily fall across the region, the high winds won’t kick in until Thursday.

Denver will go from a high of 47 on Wednesday to 10 degrees below zero by daybreak Thursday. That would be the city’s coldest day in 32 years, according to the weather service. Cheyenne, Wyoming, recently dropped 32 degrees in just eight minutes.

Temperatures in the Denver metro area will drop drastically once the front passes in the next couple of hours.

By sunrise, the temperature is expected to be around 10 degrees below zero and gusty north winds will create a wind chill of around minus 25. The high-temperature tomorrow will likely not make it above zero degrees.

A wind chill warning is in effect as well as a winter weather advisory. Several inches of snow will also make for difficult travel late this afternoon through early Thursday.

Thursday: Thursday will be the most difficult day for travel. The storm will be hitting the Midwest extremely hard with heavy snow and strong winds. Western Minnesota will face not only blizzard conditions, but potentially deadly wind chills Thursday and Friday.

“Whiteout conditions are expected during that time with travel becoming very difficult or impossible,” said the weather service. “This event could be life-threatening if you are stranded with wind chills in the 30 below to 45 below zero range.”

Chicago could also face blizzard conditions with winds gusting as high as 50 mph, with 2 to 4 inches of snow forecast.

“Overall, concern continues to increase in the quick development of dangerous conditions Thursday afternoon with potentially significant impacts to the evening peak travel window,” warned the weather service office in Chicago.

Snowfall early Wednesday in Glasgow, Montana.

Additionally, strong winds may knock out power lines in the Midwest, especially in areas where heavy snow fell last week and is already weighing down tree branches. This will leave millions finding a way to stay warm as temperatures plummet to well below freezing.

Snow could fall as far south as Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee and even Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday. Little to no accumulation is expected for most of the southern cities, however, Nashville could pick up about an inch of snow.

In anticipation of what will be a week of travel nightmares, United, American, Delta, Southwest and Jet Blue have issued travel waivers for dozens of airports across the country from the South to the Northeast, because in addition to snow covering roadways, low visibility could make air travel dangerous.

At least 1,000 flights had been canceled across the US, according to the flight tracking site Flightaware on Wednesday evening.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport leads the way, followed by Denver International and Chicago’s Midway International.

Cancellations at those airports could have a wider impact because they are busy hubs where travelers often change planes in order to reach other destinations. Thursday is expected to be the busiest pre-Christmas day for travel.

Friday: The storm is expected to become a “bomb cyclone” Thursday evening into Friday. A bomb cyclone is when a storm rapidly intensifies – and drops 24 millibars (a term used to measure atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours.

The storm is expected to reach the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane as it reaches the Great Lakes, with the weather service describing the strength of the low a “once-in-a-generation” event.

“This is a case in which snow totals may not tell the whole story. Even small snow amounts, when combined with very strong wind gusts and plummeting temperatures, can cause poor visibility and slick spots on roads. The sudden arrival of these conditions can increase the danger,” the weather service explained.

The storm will be over the Great Lakes on Friday and continuing to produce heavy snow across much of the Midwest. Portions of Michigan could pick up more than a foot of snow by Friday, making travel impossible at times.

Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan – where travel conditions will become difficult to impossible as the storm peaks Thursday into Friday. Major cities like Chicago, Kansas City, St Louis, Twin Cities and Detroit are under winter storm warnings for heavy snow and near blizzard conditions.

Heavy rain will also blanket much of the I-95 corridor, adding to the travel troubles and lengthy airport delays.

Even in places where the snow has ended, strong winds will continue to blow 30 to 40 mph across much of the Midwest and into the Northeast.

Friday night into Saturday morning, New England will get a quick shot of snow and windy conditions.

Travelers check in at Minneapolis' St. Paul Airport, Wednesday, December 21, 2022.

Places that will escape the snow, won’t escape the cold. Areas from eastern Montana through the Dakotas will experience the coldest air beginning Thursday morning. Current wind chills across Montana and the Dakotas are as cold as 50 to 60 degrees below zero and will fall even further after dark Wednesday.

Rapid City will feel like 45 degrees below zero on Thursday morning. By Friday morning, Chicago’s wind chill will bottom out at 30 degrees below zero.

“The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes,” warned the weather service office in Bismarck.

Even the South will be dangerously cold. Nashville and Atlanta’s wind chill will drop to minus 11 on Saturday morning and Birmingham will feel like minus 5.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday declared a state of emergency due to the upcoming “historic low temperatures” across the state, with near zero or negative digit wind chills by midday on Friday.

Greg Behrens, of Des Moines, Iowa, tries to stay warm as he makes his way on a snow-covered sidewalk, Wednesday, December 21, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa.

The declaration will help “ensure that essential supplies, especially propane can be delivered for both commercial and residential needs,” the governor told reporters.

“Communities across the state are about to see temperatures that they haven’t experienced in a decade or more,” Kemp said.

The state will be pretreating roads and bridges in anticipation of the inclement weather and officials urged residents to avoid travel if possible.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also declared a state of emergency, with wind gusts expected to reach 40 to 50 mph on Friday and minus 10 to minus 26 degrees wind chills expected on Saturday. Beshear asked residents to stay off roads and to have a backup heat source.

Jackson and Birmingham will both spend more than 80 hours below freezing between Friday and Monday. Houston could sit below freezing for 46 hours between Thursday and Saturday.

The cold temperatures will stay through Christmas weekend, before finally moderating next week.

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5 things to know for December 12: Winter storm, NASA, Ukraine, World Cup, China

5 things to know for December 12: Winter storm, NASA, Ukraine, World Cup, China



CNN
 — 

As you scroll through social media this week, there’s a chance you’ll see pictures of your friends, but re-imagined as celestial beings or cartoon-like characters. Perhaps you’ve even seen a few of the eye-catching portraits already – or maybe you’re grimacing at the notion of another viral trend hijacking your feed. Whether you’re a fan or foe, the popular app behind the avatars is Lensa, and some users are voicing concerns about how much the portraits distort body shapes and skin color.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

More than 15 million people in 14 states are under winter weather alerts as a multi-day severe storm begins today for parts of the South and southern central US. The storm system already slammed into the western US over the weekend, causing avalanche warnings and closing major highways. Meteorologists say the storm will strengthen as it heads east Tuesday, likely impacting a large swath of the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Areas in Louisiana and Mississippi could see tornadoes, high wind gusts and damaging hail. To the east, residents in various areas are expected to see several inches of snowfall in the coming days. The storm already made for icy and dangerous conditions from Northern California to Nevada with blowing snow and near-zero visibility, officials said.

The historic Artemis I mission came to a momentous end Sunday as NASA’s Orion spacecraft made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico’s Baja California. The mission sent the uncrewed spacecraft on a trip around the moon for a little over 25 days to test whether its capsule could make a safe return to Earth. Now that it has cleared that hurdle, NASA is looking to choose a crew of astronauts to fly the Artemis II mission, which could take off as soon as 2024. Artemis II will aim to send astronauts on a similar trajectory as Artemis I, flying around the moon but not landing on its surface. Then, the Artemis III mission, currently slated for a 2025 launch, is expected to put boots back on the moon, and NASA officials have said it will include the first woman and first person of color to achieve such a milestone.

NASA's uncrewed Orion spacecraft reached a maximum distance of nearly 270,000 miles from Earth during the Artemis I flight test before beginning its journey back toward Earth. Orion captured imagery of the Earth and Moon together from its distant lunar orbit, including this image on Nov. 28, 2022, taken from camera on one of the spacecraft's solar array wings.

Watch Orion spacecraft splashdown

Amid freezing temperatures, Ukraine is working to patch up sections of its power grid faster than Russian missiles can knock them out. “The enemy is hitting the most important facilities and key elements of substations that ensure the output … and transmission of electricity,” the CEO of state power generator Ukrenergo told CNN. This comes as President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Sunday to discuss Russia’s attacks and recent US efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses. Zelensky thanked Biden for an additional $275 million in security assistance, which the Pentagon announced on Friday, as well as for the wider and “unprecedented” US support of Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of Russia’s ongoing invasion.

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Woman shows what it’s like to live with consequences of Putin’s war

After a thrilling two days of quarterfinals, we now know the lineup of the four teams still standing in the 2022 World Cup. The semifinal matches are set with Argentina vs. Croatia on Tuesday and France vs. Morocco on Wednesday. England and France engaged in a heavyweight bout Saturday – and it took everything the French had to hold off the English, who played well and threatened to equalize even in the waning moments of an extended stoppage time. Also on Saturday, renowned player Cristiano Ronaldo left the pitch in tears after Morocco stunned Portugal with a 1-0 victory, becoming the first African nation to make a World Cup semifinal. Separately, the sudden death of prominent American journalist Grant Wahl while covering the World Cup has prompted tributes from across the sports world.

China is currently making changes to abolish its Covid-19 trace tracking system, according to officials in the country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has used the system, which is tied to people’s phone numbers, to track an individual’s travel history over the last 14 days in an attempt to identify those who have been to a city with any “high-risk zone” designated by authorities. It had been a point of contention for many Chinese people due to concerns around data collection and its use by local governments to ban entry to those who have visited a city with a “high-risk zone”– even if they did not go to those areas within that city. While the dismantling of China’s zero-Covid policy is favored by many, some health experts are wary that an outbreak could soon rattle the country’s capital.

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Man circulating videos of China protests says he has gotten death threats

Nelly Cheboi named CNN’s Hero of the Year

This woman quit her lucrative job as a software engineer to help children in need. Watch the moment CNN’s Hero of the Year was announced.

See 3-year-old’s reaction after spotting her family during dance recital

This precious little girl was overcome with emotion when she saw her family supporting her in the crowd. See the adorable video here.

The tourist attractions you can’t visit in 2023

You can scratch these places off your list… some of these attractions are either under renovation or are saying a permanent goodbye.

Brock Purdy leads San Francisco 49ers in shocking win

The 22-year-old rookie quarterback was the last pick of this year’s draft. But to everyone’s surprise, he outdueled Tom Brady in a 35-7 blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Twitter is auctioning off memorabilia from its San Francisco office

As if things couldn’t get more bizarre at Twitter… the company is now auctioning off dozens of items and supplies – including a large Twitter bird statue and a giant “@” sculpture.

Dorothy Pitman Hughes, the co-founder of Ms. Magazine – one of the most prominent feminist magazines – has died, according to a funeral home in Georgia and her longtime colleague and friend Gloria Steinem. She was 84. “Her devotion to children’s welfare, racial justice and economic liberation means that she left the world in a better place than she found it,” Steinem wrote in an Instagram post.

34 years

That’s about how long it’s been since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The attack killed 259 people on the New York-bound flight and 11 people on the ground shortly after taking off from London in December 1988. On Sunday, authorities in the US and Scotland announced a Libyan man is now in US custody for his alleged involvement in making the bomb that destroyed the plane.

“My heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of many!”

– Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle, thanking the many people she said supported her and Brittney during Griner’s imprisonment in Russia. After being released Thursday, the basketball star arrived at a military medical facility in Texas. Officials say she is undergoing routine evaluations before she returns to her regular life.

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This town is full of bald eagles

For most Americans, a bald eagle sighting is a rare occurrence. But in this town, you can find the predators lurking everywhere. (Click here to view)