Ice storm hits northeast USA by Matt Taylor
One of the most severe ice storms in a decade hit the northeast US over the weekend, crippling the electricity supply and leaving millions of people without power.
At least four people lost their lives as a result of the storm, with officials declaring a state of emergency across parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York State and Maine. Nearly 1.5 million homes and businesses across the four states were left without electricity as ice-covered trees collapsed onto power lines. New Hampshire remains the worst affected state with more than 300,000 homes without power.
An ice storm is associated with supercooled raindrops; a strange property of water that allows raindrops to stay liquid even though they are below zero degrees Celsius. When these supercooled raindrops hit the cold surfaces they instantly freeze, coating the landscape in a glaze of ice. The ice can become so heavy that it splits trees in half, brings down pylons and turns roads and pavements into lethal sheets of smooth, thick ice.
The USA often experiences ice storms during the winter months. In December 2007, a severe ice storm gripped vast swathes of the Midwest and was responsible for the deaths of at least 22 people.
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