NEW YORK: A snowstorm in the United States (US) killed at least 17 people in weather-related accidents and left more than 1.7 million homes and workplaces without power, Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the local media and the National Weather Service (NWS) Saturday.

The NWS announced that the freezing winds coming from the Arctic, which affected about two-thirds of the country, will continue to have a significant impact on the central and eastern parts of the country at the end of the week.

At least 17 people were killed and many others injured in traffic accidents, while authorities warned that visibility had dropped to zero due to the snowstorm, with wind gusts reaching 115 kilometers (71 miles) per hour in some areas, according to media reports.

According to the Power Outage website, more than 1.7 million homes and business places across the country remain without electricity, while officials warned that it may take days to restore the supply.

More than 200 million people are expected to be affected by the freezing temperatures in the US.

A state of emergency has been declared in several states, including New York, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Oklahoma, while US President Joe Biden urged citizens to heed the warnings.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware reported that more than 8,000 flights were cancelled and more than 25,000 flights were delayed ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In the US, on Dec 21, national and local weather reporting agencies had warned of severe cold and snowy weather conditions that could be seen "once in a generation."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that cold weather conditions that have not been experienced in the last 40 years are approaching in some parts of the country.

-- BERNAMA