Winterstorm claims over 20 lives across US

A winter storm and plummeting temperatures have claimed at least 22 lives across seven US states so far. 

According to CNN, more than 315,000 homes and businesses nationwide were without power following an Arctic blast and winter storm that tore down power lines with destructive winds and heavy snow and dipped temperatures dangerously low.

Multiple car crashes have also been one of the dangerous consequences of icy weather conditions. As the Guardian reported, four people died in a mass car collision involving 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike. A driver in Kansas City, Missouri, was killed after skidding into a creek, with three more dead on Kansas roads. In the state of Michigan a series of crashes took place, including one involving nine semi-trailers.