DEVASTATING GIANT ICE STORM FREEZES HALF THE USA

Of all great nations in the world, it is indeed an ironic when USA the land of beauty, seemingly chosen to face the wrath of numerous disasters that Mother Nature has to offer.

It began with Hurricanes, typhoons, floods, bushfire and now the devastating giant ice storm. 

It is reported that a huge ice storm has descended across the U.S. today leaving much of the country battling treacherous conditions.

Winter storm Cleon delivered heavy snow to the Rockies and upper Midwest. 

From Thursday into Friday, the southern Plains and the Ohio Valley will be the worst hit by snow and ice. 

Icy blasts are making road conditions treacherous for drivers across western regions of the U.S.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been warned that they could be left without power and heat for up to two weeks as a bitter winter storm blasts the South and Midwest with ice and snow.

Passengers were stranded at airports yesterday, as thousands of flights had to be canceled, and those traveling by road were faced with dangerous icy conditions.

At least 11 people have been killed in the ice storms, including four in San Francisco who died from hypothermia.
The deaths have been connected to weather across the U.S. - from California to Indiana.

According to the National Weather Service in Riverton, Wyoming, temperatures dipped as low as 37 degrees below zero on Wednesday

As the jet stream hunkered to the south on Wednesday, it promised a week of temperatures that could dip to minus 20 or worse in the northern midsection of the country, forcing much of the rest of the nation to deal with unexpectedly cool temperatures. 

In Minnesota, the cold has forced Salvation Army bell ringers inside and canceled holiday parties, while dense, cold air sunk into Rocky Mountain valleys and kept some lower elevations freezing in the West.

The dip in the jet stream is allowing Arctic air to plunge deeper into the United States. 

BREAKING THE ICE: STORM BRINGS RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

• Denver: A record low of minus 13 on Wednesday trumped the old record of 5 degrees below zero set in 2008. Thursday's low of 14 degrees below zero was one degree shy of tying the daily record
• Ely, Nevada: A temperature of minus 17 on Wednesday crushed the old record of 5 degrees below zero
• Great Falls, Montana: Record low of 23 degrees below zero on Wednesday topped the old record of 22 below
• Casper, Wyoming: On Wednesday, a record low of minus 22 beat the old record of 11 degrees below in 1972
• Medford, Oregon: The state felt a record low of minus 18 on Wednesday

Source: Agencies