A harsh cold snap has left more than 100,000 residents in Oregon without electricity, as persistent ice and high winds challenge restoration efforts by Portland General Electric, the state's largest utility provider.
The U.S. Northwest has been battered by intense winter storms in recent days, with data from PowerOutage.us indicating that Oregon is the hardest-hit state, experiencing approximately 110,000 power outages.
Portland General Electric reported, \"After significant progress restoring all but about 5,000 customers from this week's weather, a third round of weather, including high gusty winds and freezing rain, caused about 50,000 new outages.\" The utility emphasized its commitment to restoring power for everyone, deploying around 1,700 workers in their efforts.
Tragically, the severe weather has also led to fatalities. On Wednesday, Portland fire officials confirmed that a downed power line resulted in the electrocution of three individuals after it fell onto a vehicle. Thankfully, a baby survived after being rescued by a witness.
The extreme cold has driven peak power demand across parts of the U.S., following a day where homes and businesses consumed record amounts of natural gas for heating and power generation.
The winter storm's impact extends beyond Oregon. A U.S. Gulf Coast refinery in Texas was shut down on Tuesday, causing malfunctions at other facilities and slashing North Dakota's oil production by half. State officials estimate that oil output could take about a month to recover from the severe freeze.
The Polar Vortex
While much of the United States battles brutal cold, other parts of the world are experiencing unusually warm weather. Scientists attribute this stark contrast to climate change, which is influencing the behavior of the polar vortex.
Judah Cohen, a winter weather expert from Atmospheric Environmental Research, explained, \"When the polar vortex stretches like a rubber band, severe extreme winter weather is much more likely in the United States. That's where it tends to be focused, and in January we have an extreme case of that stretching of the polar vortex.\" This phenomenon has led to the current cold outbreak, consistent with changes in the Arctic region.
(With input from Reuters and AP)
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
