MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis residents were urged to boil water, and New Yorkers were warned that roads could be covered in dangerous black ice this weekend as extreme cold and stormy weather continue to sweep through parts of the United States.
Extremely cold air seeped into Canada's Midwest, where meteorologists warned Saturday that wind chills would bring temperatures to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) outside in some areas.
Heavier than expected snow fell in New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., on Friday. Storms have battered the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South and Northeast with low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms, freezing rain and high winds over the past two weeks.
With cold winds blowing, temperatures will feel as low as minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius) in parts of Kansas on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. A large swath of the United States was under a wind chill warning that extended from parts of Montana all the way to Florida warning residents of the extreme cold.
The potential thaw isn't expected until next week, when forecasts call for above-average temperatures across much of the country, according to the National Weather Service.
The weekend's breezy weather comes after a series of storms that killed at least 55 people across the country, many from hypothermia or road accidents.
Tennessee alone recorded 19 deaths. They included a 25-year-old man who was found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg after the heater flipped over and went out, said Bob Johnson, chief deputy for the Marshall County Sheriff's Office.
“There was ice on the walls there,” Johnson said.
Days of cold snap broke many water pipes in Memphis, Tennessee, dropping water pressure throughout the city. Memphis Light, Gas & Water on Friday urged all of its more than 400,000 customers to boil water for drinking, brushing teeth or using bottled supplies. Water systems in about 10 counties have issued boil water advisories.
It was not clear how long the advice would remain in effect. While about 50 ruptures have been repaired, Utilities Chief Doug McGuinn warned that new leaks could emerge. Water officials said some customers lacked full running water, but declined to provide a specific number. Drinking water was distributed at two fire stations on Friday.
The dramatic decline in blood donations, linked in part to the weather, led Chattanooga-based Blood Assurance to recommend that more than 70 hospitals in five states suspend elective surgeries through Wednesday to allow inventory to be restocked.
In West Virginia, advisories and warnings were issued Saturday due to continuing severe weather. The weather service said some areas could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of additional snow with wind gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) and wind chills dropping temperatures to 20 below zero ( minus 29 degrees Celsius).
The West Virginia Legislature left after a short session Friday because not enough lawmakers could cross snow-covered highways to the Capitol to vote on bills.
In Washington, DC, snow fell quietly and the streets surrounding the US Capitol building remained silent. Schools closed for the second time in a week, and the federal government was delayed by two hours. However, President Joe Biden still welcomed mayors from across the country to the White House for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
In Buffalo, New York, the snow accumulated on the lake finally moved after parts of the city and some suburbs were buried under a layer of snow five feet thick in five days. The Buffalo Bills on Friday renewed their appeal for snow shovels, offering $20 an hour to help dig Highmark Stadium before Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Michigan City, Indiana, received 17 inches (43 cm) of lake-shaped snow on Friday. The snow later eased as the low-pressure system moved away, but the weather service warned that “cold air was wrapping behind it,” urging drivers to watch out for patches of slick, treacherous black ice.
On the West Coast, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotick on Thursday declared a statewide state of emergency in the wake of the deadly ice storms. Temperatures on Friday finally exceeded freezing in most areas and that ground snow and ice will begin to melt slowly, the weather service said.
More freezing rain is expected Saturday in the Columbia River Gorge 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.”
Thousands have been without power since last weekend in parts of Oregon's Willamette Valley due to storm damage. Despite the work of repair crews, more than 41,000 customers in the state were without power early Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.
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Associated Press journalists Jonathan Mathis and Christine M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Colleen Long in Washington contributed.
