It may reach minus 50 A polar wave that occurs “once in a generation” hits America and Canada

The National Weather Service has warned that a severe cold snap hitting Canada and the United States could bring "once-in-a-generation" severe winds that cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes.

The meteorological services in the United States and Canada intensified their warnings on Friday, facing polar temperatures that could reach -50 degrees in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, which are swept by icy winds.

The state of Maine in the north of the United States, especially on Friday-Saturday night, may witness a sharp drop in temperature to -51 degrees Celsius, according to a bulletin from the National Weather Service for the Caribou region near the Canadian border.

"It's a historic polar hail," unprecedented on the scale of "an entire generation," the National Weather Service said for the Caribou region, "something not seen especially in northern and eastern Maine since 1982 and 1988."

And she indicated that in parts of the northeastern United States and this region of New England, temperatures, under the influence of icy winds, may reach "the lowest levels in decades, or even an unprecedented level at all."

At least 11 people have died due to bad weather in the southern United States since Monday.

On the other side of the border, Arctic cold warnings have been issued for eastern Canada, according to the Environment Ministry, which says there is a risk of frostbite within minutes.

The apparent temperature was -41 in Montreal on Friday afternoon. It may drop to -50 degrees in the northern regions of Quebec. White smoke known as "the smoke of the Antarctic seas" rose over the Saint Laurent River due to the severe cold that passed over the non-freezing waters.

In Montreal, strong winds hit the few pedestrians in the city center.

In the capital, Ottawa, visibility was almost non-existent on Thursday-Friday night due to snowfall accompanied by strong winds.

It is expected that cold temperatures and winds in the United States will reach their peak on the night of Friday-Saturday, especially in Boston and New York, before starting to rise on Sunday.

Monitoring and monitoring A second Chinese spy balloon alerts the Canadian and American Ministries of Defense

Canada mobilized after the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon in its airspace, as its Ministry of Defense said it was monitoring the balloon, which is the second of its kind, after the US Department of Defense announced its discovery in the skies of the United States at a time of escalating tension between Washington and Beijing.

The Pentagon announced Friday that a second Chinese spy balloon is flying over Latin America, after a first balloon was spotted in US skies the previous day.

"We are aware of reports of a balloon flying over Latin America. We consider it to be another Chinese spy balloon," Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement, without specifying its exact location.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed a visit to Beijing after the United States spotted the first Chinese balloon in its airspace, which it suspects has espionage purposes, an accusation denied by Beijing, expressing its "regret" for this "unintended" incident.

The decision to postpone came shortly after Beijing expressed its "regret" for its balloon's violation of US airspace.

On Saturday, Beijing considered that the media and politicians in the United States are exploiting American allegations about the launch of a Chinese spy balloon over American territory.

"Some politicians and media in the United States used the incident as a pretext to attack and tarnish China's image," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued after Blinken postponed a scheduled visit to Beijing.

And on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that "China has never violated the territory and domain of any sovereign country."

She added, "Some politicians and the media in the United States used the (airship) incident as a pretext to attack China and tarnish its image."