Like the U.S., Canada is preparing for an icy front just before Christmas: temperatures in some places are expected to reach -55ºC

Steph Deschamps / December 23, 2022

Canada is also bracing for "unseasonably low temperatures", heavy snowfall and possible freezing rain in some areas, while a winter storm is disrupting Christmas travel in much of the United States.

Canadian authorities encouraged people in Quebec, for example, to "prepare emergency plans and carry emergency kits containing drinking water, food, medication, a first aid kit and a flashlight. The country's main airport in Toronto was experiencing delays and flight cancellations.

The icy front in the United States is expected to strengthen by Friday and last through the Christmas weekend. Its power made the NWS agency in Buffalo, New York, say it was "a once-in-a-generation storm". The Midwest and Great Lakes region will be particularly hard hit this weekend with blizzard conditions. Temperatures in the Great Plains region are expected to reach as low as -55 degrees. According to authorities, snow and winds will cause blizzards in some places, making travel "dangerous or impossible at times.

In the U.S., more than 5,500 flights had been canceled by Thursday and 24,000 delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

The airports of Chicago and Denver were particularly affected. Roads were already covered with snow across the country and numerous accidents were reported by the media. I-90, a major highway through the northern United States, was closed in the state of South Dakota, with authorities warning that it would not reopen until Friday.