cold front


cold front [名] 寒冷前線
アメリカのここより西の地帯（Midwest) ではブリザードに見舞われ飛行機は欠航し、停電により多くの人が寒さの中電気なしで凍えて過ごし、多数の死者まで出ていますが、ここワシントンDC、メリーランド州一帯はこの季節にしては異常に暖かく湿度が高いです。おそらくこの寒暖の大きな差が大雪を降らしているのでしょう。今週末はここまで寒冷前線（cold front） がやってくると予報されていますが、どうなることやら。今のところ良いお天気です。

Storm blankets Midwest, grounds planes
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer Sat Dec 2, 6:13 AM ET

CHICAGO - The snowy debris of a collapsed roof in an Illinois nursing home offered just one snapshot of the wintry mayhem left in the path of the season's first big storm. The storm was blamed for at least five traffic deaths as it cut a swath from Texas to Michigan before moving Saturday into the Northeast. Its powerful winds caused three deaths and at least two have died shoveling heavy snow.

Hundreds of thousands were left without electricity. Schools and businesses were shuttered. Canceled flights stranded scores of airline passengers.
In Peoria, a nursing home roof collapsed into the building's cafeteria on Friday night but caused no serious injuries, said fire Division Chief Greg Walters. Four people were taken to a hospital, reportedly with cuts and bruises."The building administrator was there, and he heard a snap," Walters said. "He started seeing a collapse and got people moving out of there. His attention to detail may have saved some lives."

In Chicago, where snow coated street signs and commuters walked gingerly along slushy streets, forecasters warned residents to be careful digging out of what they called "heart attack snow" — difficult to shovel because it is so heavy. A man older than 60 died after shoveling snow in Racine, Wis., which got up to got 14.5 inches, officials said. And in Fond du Lac, Wis., a 70-year-old man died after shoveling.

Chicago received 6.2 inches of snow, and many areas of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri got more than a foot. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and by Friday afternoon nearly 300 National Guard members had been dispatched or were preparing to be dispatched to the hardest hit areas. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for 27 counties.

About 500,000 Ameren Corp. customers in Illinois and Missouri were still without power late Friday night after ice snapped power lines and tree limbs. Ron Zdellar, Ameren vice president, said it would be days before all customers had electricity again. The fire chief in the St. Louis suburb of Affton said an 87-year-old woman died early Friday in a house fire that started after an ice-laden tree limb fell on a power line, causing the fuse box in her basement to short-circuit.

The Midwest's nasty weather caused problems for travelers all over the country. United Airlines canceled 914 flights nationwide as of Friday night, according to company spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. At Chicago's O'Hare Airport, American Airlines canceled all its flights before noon Friday. As the storm moved east, gusty winds caused even more people to lose power from Tennessee to New York. In Pennsylvania, a woman died when a tree fell on a car in Halifax Township, five miles north of Harrisburg, said John Comey, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Winds blew out the windows of Mr. Z's Food Mart in Mountain Top, Pa., leaving about a half-dozen people with minor injuries, fire officials said. One person died after a tree fell onto a house in Ellenville, about 100 miles north of New York City. State Police were not releasing any more details on the death.The combination of sleet, rain and snow made driving treacherous. In Milwaukee, the slippery roads were so hazardous that even a snowplow overturned.Near Paducah, Texas, a sport utility vehicle carrying a high school girls' basketball team slid on an icy patch and tipped over, killing a 14-year-old player and injuring six teammates and the coach.

In Missouri, where two storm-related fatal accidents occurred Thursday, officials closed a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 70 for several hours Friday morning. Icy roads were also a factor in two other traffic deaths, one in Kansas on Wednesday and one Thursday in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, where the ice-slicked roads were difficult to navigate, some towing companies reported up to 24-hour wait times to reach stranded drivers.

Posted: 土 - 12月 2, 2006 at 09:50 午前          

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