Nashville, Tenn. – Much of the United States remained under the brunt of deadly Arctic weather on Sunday – with freezing conditions arriving as far south as Texas and Florida. But the numbing cold is expected to ease in the coming days.
Crews in Memphis, Tennessee, continued to work around the clock Sunday to find and repair broken pipes that caused low water pressure throughout the system. Some residents went without running water for days, and all of the utility's 400,000 customers remained under a boil water notice.
Doug McGuinn, president and CEO of Memphis Light, said in a video posted to social media Saturday evening that he hopes to have an estimate of when pressure will be restored Sunday afternoon.
“Wait there,” McGuinn said. “Neighbors helping neighbors.”
As of Saturday afternoon, the company had repaired 36 broken water mains and more than 2,000 leaks in homes and businesses. As temperatures begin to rise above freezing on Sunday, more leaks are expected. McGowen asked residents to stop dripping faucets once the water temperature warms, a measure that would add 5 to 10 million gallons per day to the system and help restore water pressure.
Rhodes College in Memphis began sending boarding students home on Saturday and moving those who cannot return home to hotels. The school was planning virtual classes on Monday and Tuesday.
“We ask that you do not come to campus on any day due to the ongoing water situation and the risks that arise from it,” the school’s announcement said.
Memphis was Tennessee's largest water system, but not the only one, to experience problems due to unusually cold weather. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday night that 28 water systems had issued boil water notices.
The persistent cold weather is also responsible for at least 25 deaths in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Nationally, this month's winter storms have claimed at least 67 lives across the United States, many from hypothermia or road accidents.
Elsewhere, the National Weather Service said freezing rain, sleet and high winds later Sunday will make travel in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma particularly dangerous. Wind chills in Iowa brought the temperature to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 7 degrees Celsius) in some parts.
But the end of the subzero temperatures — which hit the United States on Friday — was in sight for parts of the country. For example, daily high temperatures in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, are expected to remain above freezing as of Monday.
“With no additional replenishment of Arctic air from Canada, there is a continued rise in temperatures in the central part of the country,” the weather service said.
In Western New York, Buffalo Bills fans were preparing for another home playoff game Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, with temperatures forecast to hover around 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 7 degrees Celsius) and winds gusting around 10 mph (16 kph). ) and a slight chance of snow showers. On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of people came to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park to help clear snow from the stands for the second week in a row, earning $20 an hour.
Nearly 2 feet (60 cm) of snow has fallen in the area over the past week. Fans also helped clear snow from the field before Monday's 31-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in frigid temperatures.
The Erie County Sheriff's Office was urging fans Sunday not to throw snowballs on the field or trespass on the new stadium construction site.
On the West Coast, more freezing rain is expected in the Columbia River area, and the area is expected to remain near or below freezing through at least Sunday night. The National Weather Service warned that trees and power lines already covered in ice could collapse if more falls.
“Stay safe out there over the next few days as our area tries to thaw,” the weather service said. “Falling ice chunks will still pose a hazard as well.”
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Associated Press writers David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, contributed to this story.
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