A powerful bomb cyclone has swept across the eastern United States, bringing heavy snow, record-breaking cold temperatures, and hazardous conditions to millions. The storm, which intensified rapidly, affected about 150 million people under cold weather advisories from the Gulf coast to New England.
In North Carolina, the storm contributed to nearly a foot of snow in Charlotte, one of the top-five snow events on record there. Two people died in storm-related conditions, and more than 1,000 collisions were reported on snowy roads. Governor Josh Stein warned of black ice and urged residents to stay home.
In Florida, temperatures plummeted to levels not seen since 1989 or earlier, with lows in the 20s Fahrenheit in the panhandle and 30s in the south. The cold stunned invasive green iguanas, causing them to fall from trees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued an executive order allowing residents to remove the cold-stunned iguanas without a permit until early February.
Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 on Saturday and 1,800 on Sunday, with Charlotte Douglas International Airport heavily affected. The storm also caused power outages for tens of thousands and threatened strawberry and orange crops in Florida, where farmers used water sprays to protect fruit from ice.
