celebrate christmas. hello and welcome to bbc news. an icy blast is affecting nearly 250 million people in the united states and canada, as one of the most severe winter storms in living memory takes hold, bringing with it snow blizzards, strong winds, and freezing temperatures. at least 19 people have died, hundreds of thousands of american households and businesses are without electricity and thousands of flights have been cancelled. the us state of montana registered a record breaking low of 45 celsius. from washington, nomia iqbal reports. the bomb cyclone has plunged more than half of the bomb cyclone has plunged more than half of this the bomb cyclone has plunged more than half of this country into sub zero temperatures. from coast to coast it has brought blistering storms, blinding snow, power outages, and can turn boiling hot water into a snow in seconds. the western state of montana is bearing the brunt, temperatures here at the lowest of 50 degrees. residents have
temperature right now? i believe it is 7 right now, it feels around minus 18 with the windchill. ,., ., , , ., windchill. goodness me. nate vandermeer, windchill. goodness me. nate vandermeer, to windchill. goodness me. nate vandermeer, to stay - windchill. goodness me. nate vandermeer, to stay warm i windchill. goodness me. nate| vandermeer, to stay warm for us, anh do stay safe. thank you forjoining us on bbc news and do stay safe. it s a similar story injapan, where heavy snow in the north and surrounding areas has left more than a dozen people dead and at least 80 injured. over 10,000 households have also been left without power, according to officials there, and the meteorological agency has warned that snowstorms and high waves along the sea of japan coast could lead to snow drifts up to 60 centimetres deep. the us secretary of state antony blinken has said he is deeply concerned that the taliban s ban on women delivering humanitarian aid in afghanistan will disrupt vital