Usually on CNN Student News we say how Fridays are awesome1, for a lot of the U.S., this Friday is frozen. You expect snow and cold temperatures in the winter. What makes this storm different is that's huge. Around 60 million people, we are talking 20% of the entire U.S. population, potentially affected2 by this. Governors and mayors have declared states of emergency. The area that's being hit is roughly the same size as Mexico. And the storm is bringing some unusual weather. Probably haven't seen or heard that too often, it's called thunder snow. And you need the right ingredients for it to happen: cold air on top of warm air with moist air close to the ground. This massive winter storm is causing travel problems like what CNN's Ted3 Rowlands ran into outside Kansas City.
"The freeways here are a mess. An absolute mess. I was stuck on I-29 for about an hour and a half just dead still, I've gone on 35, I-70, all of it a mess. And though biggest part is not the visibility, but this snow accumulation is just, piling up, and people are getting stuck, spinning out. There's trucks all over the road, there've been a couple of medical emergencies which, of course, has made it very difficult that the snow makes it very difficult for first responders to get to those people. And the bottom line is they warn people do not drive in these conditions. There's a reason why. This storm is a whopper."
There might be a silver
lining4 here. Some of the states getting hit have been
dealing5 with the terrible drought. So when all this snow melts, the water could help relieve some of those drought issues.
See if you can I.D. me. I'm a country that borders 14 others. I'm the fourth largest nation in land area. I have the world's second largest economy and when it comes to population, I'm No.1. I'm China and my most populated city, the Shanghai.
An American online security company said Shanghai is home to a group of the world's most effective computer
hackers7. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says China is the one of the biggest sources for cyber attacks against the United States. When you picture a
hacker6, you might think of one person, like a
lone8 wolf type, hammering away a keyboard in a dark room somewhere. The American firm says this group of hackers in Shanghai is connected to the Chinese government.
"It's clear that this installation of buildings is closely watched by the People's Liberation Army. And allegation is that they're working in conjunction with
civilian9 hackers. As we got closer to get a look, we got in trouble."
World of
espionage10 is moved online. It's where cyber spies can get access to all kinds of sensitive information. Hackers might be able to access electricity
grid11 or telecommunications networks. This Shanghai group is accused of stealing technology
blueprints12 and sensitive business plans. Chinese officials deny any connection to
hacking13. They say they're the victim of cyber attacks, mostly from the U.S.