The number of Americans without power has risen to almost 1.5 million, with eastern states the worst hit, according to PowerOutage.US., external

Customers in North Carolina are experiencing the most outages. More than 175,000 have been reported there, followed by Virginia with 152,000.

The tracking site says other badly affected states are:

• Maine - 134,000
• Tennessee - 118,000
• New York - 106,000
• Pennsylvania - 100,000

Elsewhere, more than 50,000 households are without power in each of the following states: Texas, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland and Ohio. Western states have also been hit, although the numbers are lower on that side of the country.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has released a video with tips for drivers who are taking to the roads amid the bad weather.

This includes adding snow tyres to vehicles, as well as keeping a “winter preparedness kit” in the car that includes a mobile phone charger, blankets, a torch, a shovel, snow-melting products such as de-icer, water, non-perishable snacks and a first aid kit.

Drivers are also urged to ensure they have a full tank of petrol before heading out, and to make sure their phone is fully charged.

Image source, Getty Images

The travel problems across the country are being exacerbated by a shortage of snowplow operators, as the industry undergoes a pay dispute in many different states, CBS reports., external

The average wage for a snowplow operator is $25 per hour (£20), but trade association the National Coalition for Open Roads (NCFOR) has said this isn’t sufficient.

The starting wage for snowplow drivers ranges from $17.50 per hour in Nevada to $26 per hour in California.

The shortage is particularly bad in western states, NCFOR said.

“State transportation officials have repeatedly told us they simply can't fill many driver positions," said Doug Anderson, the incoming chairman of NCFOR.

The issue has been ongoing for at least a year, and is also tied to the labour-market upheaval caused by Covid-19.

A poll from earlier this year indicated that 84% of transportation officials who responded to a survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials reported they are experiencing higher than normal vacancies.

The Ohio Department of Transportation recently told Axios, external that it was still trying to hire two dozen workers to plow roads, meaning some of the state's roadways may require three hours or more to be cleared of snow, rather than the agency's goal of two hours.

Other states such as Oregon, Utah and Wyoming have also warned of a shortage of snowplow operators during the winter.

A few days before the Christmas holidays, the bad weather has caused travel chaos across much of the United States and Canada.

Here are some photos showing conditions in the two countries.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

As we’ve been reporting, the severe weather has even reached America’s south, a region not usually associated with cold snaps.

The mayor of Memphis, in Tennessee, has declared a state of emergency, external, saying the bad weather presents a "significant danger to public safety".

The city is experiencing flash freezing and power outages, among other challenges.

Meanwhile in Nashville, the state's capital, the BBC spoke to the head of a charity for homeless and disadvantaged people, who said the temperatures the city was facing were unprecedented.

“It’s pretty bad. It’s probably the coldest I’ve ever experienced here in Nashville,” said Ryan Lampa, the CEO of People Loving Nashville, who has lived in the city for over 20 years.

“I think that anybody that’s been outside, no matter what kind of resources we’ve been able to give them – heaters and gloves and sleeping bags and everything – I would sadly expect that there may be some frostbite out there if not even worse."

Roxanne Johnson, a 67-year-old resident of Island City, Oregon, has said she’s seen cold weather before “but nothing like this”.

The temperature fell to -18F(-27C) last night in her Oregon town, she said.

Her family was supposed to visit for the holidays, but Johnson told them to stay home because of the cold.

She’s stocked up on food, but the “worst part is trying to keep this house warm”, she said.

She's covering the windows with curtains to try to keep the heat in.

“We’ve got everything closed and we’re staying as warm as we can," Johnson said.

She added: “We’ve got to keep our faucets running so our lines don’t freeze. You can’t really do anything. You can’t go outside.”

She's hoping her husband, a truck driver, doesn't have to work tonight.

“I don’t want him out on that [road],” Johnson said.

Both she and her husband were raised in Oregon and have “never seen it this cold”.

Image source, Roxanne Johnson

It may take several days to repair damage caused by the storm in Vermont, the state's largest power company has said.

At a press conference organised by the Vermont Department of Public Safety on Friday, Green Mountain Power said the extent of the damage may hamper repairs.

"It is clearly a very dangerous storm and there may be times when our crews have to pause until the winds have slowed and it’s safe to proceed," said CEO Mari McClure.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott urged residents to avoid any unnecessary travel.

While the extreme weather has sadly interrupted many Christmas travel plans, one person will not be hampered by the storm.

Father Christmas and his reindeer have been cleared for take-off in Canada, says Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

Every year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) - a military partnership between the US and Canada - provides an online tracker, external of Santa's flight around the world on Christmas Eve.

The tradition began in 1955. After a phone number mix-up, young children trying to get in touch with Santa began calling a department of NORAD, which responded by giving them updates on his whereabouts.

Image source, Getty Images

The northern US - with its cooler temperatures - is normally the best place to be for those who want to see snowfall during the festive period.

But the winter storm is forecast to bring a such conditions to more than a dozen states this year - including many that do not usually witness such scenes.

The upper midwestern US, and northern parts of both coasts, could all see snow on the ground in time for the holiday festivities.

The wide-ranging list of states includes some or all of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin - as well as Alaska, Pennsylvania and Washington.

There may also be snowfall in the southern states of Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas, according to Weather.com. It's a much rarer phenomenon in those places.

• Read more here

Image source, Reuters

We’ve been focussing much of our attention on snow and ice, but America’s east coast is also facing threats of flooding.

The National Weather Service has put in place coastal flood warnings, external in parts of New York, particularly around Long Island Sound, and much of the Massachusetts coast, stretching from Cape Cod Bay to Salisbury, north of Boston.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has already declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, warning that flooding and ice jams are "going to wreak a lot of havoc". Ice jams happen when large pieces of ice block the flow of a river and can cause flooding.

Flooding has also been reported in Rhode Island, where some roads have been closed due to storm surge and high tides, as well as Atlantic City, New Jersey, external.

An Arctic storm is wreaking havoc across the US and Canada, disrupting power supplies and travel, as well as posing a danger to life.

• More than a million customers are without power in several states in the US, and more than than 280,000 in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario
• Transport has been badly affected during the pre-Christmas getaway. More than 3,500 flights into and out of the US have been cancelled today, and rail company Amtrak has suspended more than 20 routes
• Several deaths over recent days have been linked to ongoing bad weather. They include a man - thought to be homeless - who died after being found out in the cold in Texas, and at least five fatal road crashes in poor conditions
• More than 200 million people in the US have been issued with winter weather warnings and advisories - more than half of the population. Temperatures could plunge to -70F (-57C) in some parts of the country, forecasters have said
• President Joe Biden said the weather was "serious stuff", and urged Americans to think carefully before venturing out
• Forecasters say the weather could develop into a "bomb cyclone"- meaning a quickly intensifying storm

Image source, Getty Images

New footage shows the extent of the blizzards in North and South Dakota.

Visibility is very poor, and deep snow is now covering roads and blocking access to some buildings.

Temperatures in South Dakota dropped to a record low of -18F (-27C) on Thursday.

Image source, Reuters

Residents of America’s usually-temperate south are being urged to look out for animals that are not used to freezing temperatures. Those at risk include turtles, pelicans and lizards.

In extreme cold weather, sea turtles can become “cold-stunned” and float to the surface, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Brownsville, Texas, warned this week, external. The turtles then become stunned and are unable to avoid boats, or may wash up and become stranded along shorelines. The NWS has urged locals to report any troubled turtles to an emergency hotline.

Residents are also being urged to watch our for pelicans who could face difficulties with cold weather and high wind speeds.

People in Maryland are also being asked, external to keep a watch-out for mammals or sea turtles who show signs of cold-stunning or hypothermia.

“The cold water can cause immediate impacts making some species become slow and unresponsive, making them dangerous to themselves and boaters,” authorities there warned.

Meanwhile, in southern Florida, the cold temperatures could cause cold-stunned iguanas to fall from trees - something that happened in 2020, external when temperatures reached around zero.

Travel woes aren't limited to the skies just now. In addition to thousands of flight cancellations, America's passenger rail company Amtrak has also suspended more than 20 routes.

Its update says, external services will be changed or cancelled through till Sunday - Christmas Day.

Affected areas include Midwest states like Illinois and Michigan - as well as Maine, Vermont and New York in the Northeast.

As well as disrupting travel and power, the bad weather is also having an impact on safety. Our partner network CBS - and its affiliates - have reported on a number of recent deaths across the US that appear linked to freezing temperatures and poor road conditions.

• In Fort Worth, Texas, a man who's thought to have been homeless died after being found outside in the bitter cold. He was in an unresponsive state and taken to hospital, but later died. An official cause has not yet been determined
• The weather also appears to have played a role in a fatal crash in Kansas City, Missouri, where a minivan crashed into an icy creek. Rescuers began CPR on the victim and rushed them to hospital, but they did not survive
• Three fatal crashes were also reported in the state of Kansas on Wednesday, including one on a major highway that claimed the life of a 21-year-old man and injured the teenage driver of the car
• Other US media report on the death of an 84-year-old man in Nebraska, said to have lost control of his vehicle due to road conditions

The dangerously cold storm sweeping the continent has brought damaging winds and blizzards. Millions are without power and travel is disrupted. Susan Powell has more.

Please note that the temperatures given are in Celsius, rather than Farenheit.

Image source, Getty Images

Nearly every corner of the US and Canada have been hit with frigid temperatures as an Arctic storm develops and wreaks havoc on highways, in homes, at airports and beyond.

Meteorologists have called it a "once-in-a-generation type event".

Here is a look at some of the damage that has occurred:

• Power cuts: From Texas to Maine, more than a million people are without power in several states in the US. More than 260,000 people have also been cut off in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario
• Flight cancellations: More than 3,500 flights into and out of the US have been cancelled since yesterday
• Alerts: More than 200 million people in the US have been issued with winter weather warnings and advisories - that's 60% of the population. Temperatures could plunge to -70F (-57C) in some parts of the country, forecasters have said

Image source, Getty Images

Migrants have been warned against putting their lives at risk by attempting to cross into the US amid what immigration officials call "dangerously low" temperatures on the border.

Hypothermia is a possibility due to cold wind chills in El Paso, Texas, according to the latest update from the National Weather Center.

The city is in a state of emergency due to high levels of homelessness among migrants, many of whom have travelled from Latin America.

As the freezing weather takes hold, temporary shelters have been opened - although there are fears these may not satisfy demand. Worries persist over the health of those who are still sleeping on the streets, including in large numbers around one of the city's bus stations.

As many as 1,500 migrants have been reaching the city each day in recent times. Our reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr has written of the long and dangerous journeys they've taken to get there - and about the uncertainties they face as they attempt to move on to other parts of the US.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

With a growing number of flights delayed or cancelled across the US, thousands of passengers have been left stranded or scrambling to find alternatives as they hurry home for the holidays - including me.

I'm now back in Washington DC, approximately 16 hours after getting on a plane for what was supposed to be a relatively simple, one-stop trip back from an assignment at the border in El Paso, Texas.

The journey, however, turned into an odyssey marked by frustration. A several-hour delay of my first flight to Dallas - where temperatures have dipped to -4C (25F) - led to a missed connection.

I wasn't the only one. In Dallas, I saw dozens of people sleeping in terminals or pleading with airline staff to help them. Others just gave up and headed to local hotels to figure out what to do next.

Eventually, I managed to get an alternative flight, which was again delayed for several hours. A BBC colleague who was headed home to New York had her flight cancelled entirely, forcing her to fly to DC, 200 miles (321km) away, from where she planned to take a train instead.

About two hours after its scheduled departure, my flight took off. Any feelings of relief, however, were premature. As we approached Ronald Reagan Airport in DC, the pilot announced that the weather was forcing us to divert to the city's second airport, Dulles International, about 40 minutes from the city.

On-the-ground, two overworked airline staff were contending with several dozen passengers with lost baggage. Helpfully, the airline was also handing out taxi vouchers for those hoping to get back to town.

But when I stepped outside in the bitter cold at about 04:00, there were no taxis - and my bag is still lost.

Meteorologists are blaming the massive Arctic storm sweeping across the US and Canada on "bomb cyclone" conditions. But what exactly is that weather phenomenon?

A bomb cyclone is the term given to an explosive storm that rapidly intensifies.

It occurs when rotating energised clouds drop 24 millibars - a measure for atmospheric pressure - in 24 hours, combined with warm and cold air colliding.

Image source, .