Severe weather conditions forced the airfield at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York, to close on Friday, December 23, leaving travellers facing cancellations during one of the busiest times of the year.The National Weather Service (NWS) in Buffalo posted video demonstrating what it said was “zero-mile” visibility at a car park near the airport.“We don’t even want to be parked in it, you definitely don’t want to be driving in it”, the weather service said.The NWS said conditions would remain “extremely treacherous” northeast of the Great Lakes on Saturday.Lake-effect snow, near-zero visibility, wind gusts of 60-65 mph, and wind chills of -10 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit were forecast. Credit: NWS Buffalo via Storyful
STORY: A gas tanker apparently stuck under a bridge exploded in Johannesburg on Saturday (December 24), killing eight people, injuring scores more and damaging nearby buildings, emergency services said.The blast broke the roof of the emergency department at the Tambo Memorial hospital, destroyed two houses and several cars, and injured bystanders.The vehicle caught fire while under a low bridge, but emergency services spokesperson William Ntladi said investigations were ongoing.
STORY: The snow that has fallen along the Sea of Japan coast in northern and western regions of Japan since December 17 has killed 11 people and injured 77 people as of Saturday morning, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.Around 6,300 households suffered a power blackout as roads were closed and trains were suspended in the northern Niigata prefecture, NHK reported.Weather officials are asking residents to stay cautious and refrain from non-essential outings until Monday (December 26), as heavy snow may disrupt traffic and cause power outages.
STORY: Footage showed houses and vehicles buried underneath snow, as strong winds whipped around creating blizzard-like conditions and thwarting travel ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend.Buffalo and its surrounding county on the edge of Lake Erie in western New York imposed a driving ban, and all three Buffalo-area border crossing bridges were closed to inbound traffic from Canada due to the weather.With the deep freeze also affecting states stretching from Montana to Texas as it crept eastward, some 240 million people — more than two-thirds of the U.S. population — were under winter weather warnings and advisories on Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.