A powerful new storm is putting millions of people in the United States in danger once again, a few days after a deadly storm that crossed the country and left a trail of destruction in its way.
The new storm is not identical to the first, but once again will generate severe climate, with powerful winds triggering fast -moving fires and a snowfall in the center of the US.
The heavy rains hit the plains on the morning of Wednesday (19) and will be greatly strengthened throughout the day, as the storm goes to the Midwest.
The winds of the storm were raising dangerous dust in parts of Texas and New Mexico on Tuesday (19).
The biggest threat will be the strong wind – with stronger gusts than about 65 km/h expected from Texas to Minnesota – which can damage trees and power lines.
There is also a high risk of forest fires propagation, according to the Storm Forecasting Center. In the states of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, a level 3 fire warning is in force. The vegetation there is prepared for ignition and propagation, and wind gusts of up to 97 km/h can turn any spark into a dangerous fire.
Some gusts can reach 128 km/h, especially in eastern New Mexico, the entity warned.
“On days like this, any source of heat will cause fires, and these fires explode. These are the types of fires in which we will not put our staff in front due to the speed with which they move,” commented an authority of Texas pumps.
Storms of dust are also a problem, especially in the southern plains. On Tuesday, strong winds raised dirt and debris, decreasing or ending visibility in the places.
According to the Albuquerque branch of the National Meteorology Service, the city’s metropolitan area saw significant dust storms with visibility of less than a mile in some areas, while “horrible conditions and visibility” were observed in the central and east of the state.
Residents were also alerted to limit outdoor activities.
The dust also caused the closing of interstate roads – including a stretch of almost 209 km from the Arizona Highway to the outskirts of Las Cruces, according to the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
Last week, while violent tornadoes swept parts of the US, causing dust storms on the southern plains, a shelter of dozens of cars and trucks in interstate 70 left eight dead, Associated Press said.
“There is no safe place on a highway when a dust storm reaches,” warned the National Meteorology Service in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday (18).
At least eight people in Kansas and four people in Texas died in car accidents on Friday (14), when dust storms blocked the sky and reduced visibility to almost zero.
These renewed threats of forest fires are happening a few days after deadly fires have started over the weekend.
More than 130 forest fires fueled by strong winds damaged at least 400 homes and killed four people from Oklahoma separate counties over the weekend, according to the state emergency management department.
Blind conditions return
Through the end of the storm, snow began to fall into parts of the plains and some parts of the Midwest of the US.
Points hit by the largest snowfall, from the east of Nebraska to the Michigan upper peninsula, may have more than half a snow until the night of Wednesday (19).
A few centimeters of March snow are not usually dangerous enough to cause significant disorders in the plains and the Midwest, but the conditions may get worse if snowfall is accompanied by extended gusts.
Blazes occur when snow and strong winds combine. Blown conditions – such as dust storms – make it incredibly difficult to see more than a few meters ahead.
Storms can bring harmful winds
The threat of severe storm is neither far as significant or disseminated as the outbreak of tornadoes generated by the deadly storm last weekend, but storms can disturb recovery efforts where people are trying to gather the pieces and threaten some of the same areas impacted on Friday.
Most rainfall will not be severe, but some, especially in Iowa, may dump hail.
Additional storms-some severe-will be formed on the afternoon of Wednesday (19) in parts of the Midwest, extending through Tennessee and parts of Mississippi and Alabama at night.
Strong gusts of wind and hail are the main threats, but some tornadoes cannot be discarded.
This content was originally published in a new storm will hit the US, with risk of fires and blizzards on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
