Wild winter storm engulfs US, preventing travel for Christmas

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On Saturday, a severe snow storm that had already blanketed much of the United States proceeded to do so.

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Flooding and a potentially fatal cold outbreak caused havoc for holiday travellers.

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The storm that struck earlier in the week brought down power lines, left mounds of cars involved in fatal collisions on the roadways, and caused several flight cancellations.

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The storm's size was almost unheard of, extending from the Rio Grande near Mexico's border to the Great Lakes in Canada.

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A winter weather advisory or warning affected about 60% of the population in the United States.

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According to the National Weather Service, temperatures fell sharply below average from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians.

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People in the Northeast were in risk of inland and coastal floods, while freezing rain covered much of the Pacific Northwest in a blanket of ice.

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The meteorological service predicted "dangerously cold wind chills across most of the central and eastern U.S. this holiday weekend," due to the bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds.

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For travellers who become stranded, the circumstances "will create a potentially life-threatening hazard."

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