AT least 40 people have died across nine states in the US after a series of bone-chilling storms began pummeling the nation.
Temperatures plummeted as low as -22F in Soudan, Minnesota, on Thursday as Storm Indigo blasted its Arctic chill.
At least 40 deaths have been reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin since January 12.
The fatalities come as a direct result of the unrelenting temperatures and the hazardous traveling conditions the storm has created.
On Friday, another round of ice and snow is expected from the Midwest to the East. After almost a two-year absence of snow, Washington DC and New York City are expected to be hit again.
Winter weather alerts are still in force across the south, particularly in Nashville, Lexington, and Charleston, West Virginia.
Tennessee has been hit particularly hard, bearing the highest number of winter-related deaths in recent days.
On Monday, a box truck driver died while sliding into a tractor-trailer.
Another man died after plunging through a skylight while cleaning the roof of a business.
Another person was found dead below a bluff at a state park.
Tennessee High Patrol said it is investigating three fatal car wrecks.
It added that there have been more than 100 accidents where people have sustained injuries and more than 200 who walked away without a scratch.
Meanwhile, tundra-like conditions hitting Oregon have left over 85,000 homes and businesses without power, the number improving to 50,000 Wednesday.
Three people were killed after a power line fell onto a car on Wednesday morning following a storm.
An additional eight people died from the freezing temperature and downed trees, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.
Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek issued a statewide state of emergency late Thursday night, after “thousands of people across the state” were impacted.
“Thousands of people across the state have been impacted by the storm, including power outages, lack of transportation and an array of safety concerns that come with severe weather,” she wrote in a statement.
“The state has been working with counties as they assess needs, including critical federal resources that can be unlocked by a statewide emergency.”
It comes after people died in a car accident in Pennsylvania when their minivan lost control.
Three deaths were reported in Eerie, New York. A 64-year-old man died while shoveling snow, and a 57-year-old woman was found dead near her snow blower.
A third died from a hit-and-run car incident on Monday.
Three homeless people were found dead with suspected hypothermia in the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Two fatalities have been reported across Arkansas and Mississippi, all of which involved car wrecks.
A skier also died in a 50-foot avalanche in Wyoming on Tuesday, CBS reports, as the state was facing -40-degree wind chills and weather advisories.
A lake-effect snow is in effect until Thursday in Buffalo, New York, where snow accumulations of 9 to 18 are expected.
In Lackawanna, just south of Buffalo, more than 30 inches of snow had fallen as of Wednesday morning.
Thousands of schools across the US have been closed and more than 10,500 flights have been delayed.
