(Original headline: Natural gas futures up more than 9% at one point as winter storms continue to hit northeastern US)
Financial Associated Press News December 16 (Edited by Niu Zhanlin)Eastern time Thursday (December 15), the winter storm continued to sweep across the northeastern United States and caused high winds, snow, and freezing rain. At least three people have been killed, dozens have been injured, and communities in many places have been destroyed. The cold snap also sent US natural gas futures up more than 9% at one point before trimming gains to 7% in the latest session.
Due to damage to electrical systems, more than 50,000 families were left without electricity in Louisiana and Mississippi on the evening of the 14th. At least 49 tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and Florida on Nov. 14 and 15 local time, the U.S. Storm Forecast Center said. As of 9 a.m. on the 15th, more than 1.5 million people were on tornado alert in southeast Alabama, northern Florida, and southern Georgia.
The National Weather Service has issued a warning that for those without shelter, the flying debris could be deadly, with homes and vehicles potentially destroyed and many people endangered.
From the Rockies to the East Coast, blizzards will continue to produce large, widespread and high-impact weather hazards, forecasters said.
Meteorologists have warned that temperatures could drop to -29C in many places, with temperatures that could cause frostbite on exposed skin in short order.
In addition, nearly 50 tornadoes have been reported in six states since Tuesday, the vast majority in Louisiana and Mississippi, the data showed.
AccuWeather meteorologists said parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine could see up to 18 inches of snow, with individual areas seeing up to 2 feet of snow. The central US, including Texas, will be gripped by a polar vortex next week, with temperatures likely reaching multi-year lows.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state is well prepared for a few inches of snow. In addition to snow, high winds could also bring down utility poles, but we have utility crews on the ground.
North American Electric Reliability, which assesses the risk of outages, said extreme weather could put enormous pressure on the Texas power grid, with peak demand expected on Dec. 22.
