Canadians are experiencing a rare phenomenon as part of the polar vortex that has descended over the central part of North America.
Meteorologists call the incidents “frost quakes” and they can produce a sound as strong as a sonic boom.
The “quakes” happen when ice and rain seep into the ground and then the temperature falls so low that it freezes, causing the earth to split open as during an earthquake.
The phenomenon shocked residents of Toronto who thought someone was breaking into their homes or that gunfire had erupted in their neighborhoods. Toronto police reported hundreds of calls from worried residents over loud, unexplained noises.
Some residents told London’s Daily Mail that the quakes were strong enough to wake them from sleep and make dishes rattle.
Officials in some parts of the upper Midwest were telling residents to just stay home instead of venturing out into potentially deadly weather conditions.
Wind chills across North Dakota and Minnesota have reached as much as 70 degrees below zero causing exposed skin to freeze in minutes. The state of Minnesota called off school for extreme cold for the first time in 17 years because of the anticipated wind chills.
Temperatures dove across the entire country from International Falls, Minnesota at -28 degrees overnight to 27 degrees along the Gulf of Mexico in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The temperatures were so cold in Chicago that thousands of flights had to be delayed or cancelled. Nationwide, around 3,530 flights were delayed and over 2,500 had to be cancelled.
In addition to the frigid temperatures, icy road conditions led to hundreds of accidents nationwide. Power outages are spotty through the northeast because of wet power lines icing in the frigid conditions.
A massive winter storm that has brought snow over New England for the last 36 hours will end up dumping as much as 30 inches of snow in parts of Boston.
The storm has also brought temperatures in the dangerous range.
Most communities across the northeast are reporting temperatures that are topping out in the single digits above zero with wind chills significantly below zero.
New York City told residents to stay home until the storm ends. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service said the wind chill through the northeast corridor is so low that exposed skin could start to freeze in 15 minutes.
School districts across the region were closed to keep children safe.
Officials believe that temperatures will rise into the 40s on Sunday with rain helping to clear roads.
The first snowfall in 100 years fell in Cairo leaving adults in awe of the sight and children playing in snow dusted parks. Other parts of the city were pelted by rain and hail during the storm.
The winter storm that rolled through the Middle East brought three feet of snow to Israel making roads into Jerusalem impassable and leaving much of the country without power. The snow was so heavy in the West Bank that olive trees buckled under the weight of the snow.
The storm drove waves to the point it hammered the Egyptian Mediterranean coast and fisherman in Alexandria were warned by officials it was too dangerous to put out to sea.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon were hit particularly hard by the storm as constructed shelters were not designed to deal with heavy snowfall and bitter cold.
A major winter storm caused horrible weather conditions from Texas through the East Coast over the weekend.
Parts of Texas remain without power and hundreds of thousands from Texas to Ohio were without power as a result of a massive winter storm that brought up to 2 inches of ice in some locations.
Northern parts of the U.S. were receiving heavy blankets of snow resulting in airport closures and fight delays. However, airports in the south were not immune from the problems, as many flights from Dallas, Oklahoma City and Little Rock had to be cancelled because of ice and cold temperatures.
The ice coating in Texas reached levels that were not expected by government officials. Some parts of Interstate 35 had to be scraped by a grader with blades to break up the thick ice.
The storm rolled into the East Coast Sunday evening with one Virginia Emergency Management official saying the storm could bring a “historic ice event” to the state.
Forecasters say that warmer temperatures are coming in the next few days but that ice will likely coat the entire Midwest for the next few days.
Over 260,000 homes in the Dallas area were without power on Friday morning after a major ice storm coated trees and power lines.
A meteorologist with Accuweather wrote that it could be the worst ice storm to hit the United States in years.
Operations Director for Entergy Mississippi, which serves 700,000 customers in Arkansas, said that power restoration for all customers who could potentially lose power would run up to seven days.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency issued a state of emergency for crews to mobile for the storm. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has declared a statewide emergency allowing crews extra powers to repair downed lines and damage to trees.
Up to 8 inches of snow is predicted for southern Missouri.
About 1,000 flights across the U.S. have been canceled on Friday including almost 700 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The arctic blast that is bringing ice to parts of the lower Midwest and rust belt is bringing dangerously cold temperatures to the upper Midwest.
Oil workers in North Dakota reported temperatures in the single digits as they worked Wednesday with forecasts for Thursday and Friday showing highs from -6 to -10. Overnight lows reaching -25 are also predicted.
The cold is so severe that the Red Cross is telling residents of areas impacted by the cold to stay inside or to layer up should they be forced to leave the house. A Red Cross spokesman also asked for neighbors to watch out for elderly residents in their communities and those who might need special assistance, especially if they live alone.
The weather across Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota dumped up to three feet of snow in some locations and contributed to at least 11 deaths.
Officials from Texas to Ohio are telling residents to prepare for the possibility of days without power and impassable roads as a major ice storm moves into their region.
The storm that dumped several feet of snow on the Rocky Mountains moved south thanks to the jet stream moving significantly further south than normal. The storm stretches from south of Dallas, Texas to north and east of St. Louis, Missouri. The storm is expected to bring anything from sleet to inches of ice.
Arkansas is believed to be receiving the brunt of the storm with parts of the northeastern part of the state forecasted to receive up to 2 inches of ice through Friday. Ice storm warnings were issued for parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Officials said that major power outages are likely in areas forecasted for higher amounts of ice. They encouraged residents to prepare by stockpiling food and making arrangements to be ready to be without power for days.
Transportation experts said residents should also be ready to shelter in place as the ice could make roads impassable for at least a day.
A severe winter storm hit the western U.S. bringing hazardous travel conditions, dangerously lowering temperatures and threatened crops as far south as California.
Meteorologists say the jet stream has moved significantly further south than normal bringing arctic temperatures into the northwest. AccuWeather reported that temperatures could fall as much as 40 degrees below normal this weekend and a second winter blast could follow in a few days.
Areas of Montana saw temperature forecasts as low as the minus-20s. Officials say that when temperatures reach that low, even a little breeze can cause enough wind chill to be dangerous.
The storm also dumped heavy snow across the northwest part of the country including up to 2 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Ice and snow created dangerous driving conditions and contributed to a four car crash in Montana that killed a 21-year-old woman.
The system is pushing so far south that forecasters say Texans currently experiencing 80 degree days will see lower 40s by Thursday.
The National Weather Service is reporting an estimated EF-4 tornado struck the town of Wayne, Nebraska late Saturday afternoon causing significant damage.
Mayor Ken Chamberlain said there were multiple injuries but thankfully no one appears to have been killed by the surprise storm.
The storm reportedly produced multiple tornadoes that struck mainly in the industrial section of the city. Chamberlain told CNN that about a dozen houses were destroyed by the big tornado. Cars were flipped throughout the area and many motorists found themselves trapped but the only major emergency appeared to be a broken gas line.
“Hazmat is on the scene working with the gas leak,” state emergency management spokeswoman Jodie Fawl said.
Providence Medical Center in Wayne said that at least 15 people have been brought in with storm-related injuries.
In Rapid City, South Dakota, a freak winter storm has taken out power to over 30,000 residents. Rapid City police issued a “no travel” advisory for the city. They also said that slush on the roads is “causing vehicles to hydroplane.”
Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman said a winter storm has shut down almost all of Interstate 25 through the state. A section of Interstate 80 was also closed unless vehicles have chains on the tires.
