Politicians alarmed

Blizzard apocalypse in Boston and New York

Improvised snow plows in the heart of the "Big Apple"

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Extreme weather in the USA: after a brief respite with pleasant spring temperatures, winter in the United States is back with a vengeance. Tornadoes and flash floods are also possible.

More than 35 million people in the USA are currently under a winter storm warning and thousands could lose power. The North East and New England are expecting a mega storm that will cover the region with heavy snowfall. 

Major cities such as New York and Boston are also affected, reports FOX Weather. For the "Big Apple", it is the most severe winter storm warning in more than two years.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the storm will start as rain for most people and then quickly change to snow as colder air from Canada mixes in.

Schools closed as a precaution
New York's mayor ordered all public schools to close as a precautionary measure and switch to distance learning. Boston's mayor declared a snow emergency for the city and also announced school closures.

The governor of Massachusetts appealed for people to refrain from traveling. At a press conference, she warned people to "stay home during the storm if possible". Extreme caution must be exercised on the roads, she said.

Laborious clean-up work
Experts told NBC Boston that plows would have a real struggle with the heavy, wet snow.

In the coastal town of Scituate in Massachusetts, people are convinced that the predicted wind speeds would bring down power lines. Preparing for the extreme weather events is a real feat - yet residents are relatively relaxed: "Yes, there are a few storms five days a year, but you adjust and get on with your life," NBC Boston quotes one person as saying.