Britain is set to be battered next by the killer snowstorm currently wreaking havoc in America.
Deadly storm Jonas killed 19 people and caused untold carnage,
blanketing America in 40 inches of snow and leaving hundreds of
thousands stranded without power.
And after a state of emergency was declared in the snowed-under US,
Britons were warned by the Met Office that the same killer storm is set
to hit the UK on Tuesday.
Whole States were left in shutdown yesterday after thousands of
flights were cancelled, schools and government offices closed and sports
and entertainment events called off.
But instead of the snow that is currently battering America’s East
Coast, the UK is faced with the prospect of heavy rain and serious
floods when the storm makes its way across the Atlantic and finally
gives Americans a breather.
A Met Office spokesman said: “An active cold front is expected to
become slow-moving across Wales, north-west England and south and west
Scotland through Tuesday, and into Wednesday, before clearing to the
south on Wednesday afternoon.
“Many parts of the warning area could see 50-100 mm of rain, whilst
the most exposed upland parts of north Wales, north-west England and
south-west Scotland could see 150-200 mm.
“As such, there is the potential for river flooding, and also
standing water on roads. Strong and gusty south-west winds will also
develop.”
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning covering most of
Wales, north-west England and west Scotland for rain and flooding.
The storm, which has been described by forecasters as a “once in a
generation” event, left New York looking like a snowy ghost town, whilst
Washington ground to a halt as public transport was shut down.
Yesterday, police responded to at least 312 car accidents and 343
disabled vehicles across abandoned New York, whilst cops in Virginia
dealt with over 1,000 overnight car crashes.
Meanwhile, people living on the coast were left stranded as rescue
services battled the adverse conditions and tsunami-sized waves to
prevent more accident-related deaths or cases of hypothermia.
Even America’s elite military was caught out by the storm, with the
high-tech ‘doomsday plane’ used to coordinate the armed forces grounded
by the snowy conditions.
And Americans were forced to hunker down at home across the country as 170,000 people were reportedly left without power.
Curfews in America are set to be lifted by midday UK time today, as
the storm eventually winds down and gives Americans a chance to repair
the $1bn (£700m) damage. (The Sun, London)
Source News Express
