A blast of frigid Arctic air heading south from Canada has plunged temperatures to record lows across the United States, creating a dangerous swarm of winter storms that affected large parts of the country over the weekend. Low temperatures continue on Tuesday. The degree of cold varies depending on the region, and meteorologists warned that another frozen blast could hit some places later this week.
The storm, which had already blanketed parts of the Midwest, Great Plains and Northeast in snow on Saturday and Sunday, was bringing “extremely cold temperatures across much of the U.S.” as it moves east on Monday, “with new records expected to be set or broken,” the weather service said. The National Weather Service issued a warning after midnight. By Tuesday, places in the Northeast that had seen little snow accumulation in recent years, such as New York City, had broken their streak. Only a few inches of snow It accumulated in coastal parts of the tri-state area, with slightly higher totals inland, although temperatures throughout the day hovered around freezing and forecasters said the coming drop in temperatures will likely bring freezing rain and icy roads and travel. Potentially risky.
In the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Midwest, the cold persisted Tuesday with wind gusts below zero forecast by the National Weather Service. Snow developed rapidly over a number of states in those regions as the storm moved across the center of the country toward the northeast earlier in the week, with meteorologists reporting snowfall rates that sometimes approached one inch per hour Monday afternoon.
High temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s or 30s Tuesday across much of the Deep South and Gulf Coast, said Greg Postel, a meteorologist and storm specialist at The Weather Channel.
“This is where the air will be the coolest compared to average, with many areas 20 to 30 degrees below daily averages,” Postel told CBS News.
“A core of cooler air will reach the Gulf Coast today,” he added. “Temperatures won't get out of the 20s in parts of Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Here temperatures will be cooler compared to average than areas farther north over the Plains. The same scenario will be repeated later in the week, though it's not quite as extreme. “
Record snowfall and freezing rain
Snow and freezing rain are expected to continue in southern states, such as Texas, as wintry weather spreads over the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Tuesday, reaching Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York. the NWS in Philadelphia He said the snowfall broke the record of 715 days without at least an inch of snow falling in the city.
“Some daily record lows will likely be set tomorrow morning in places from Texas to Louisiana,” Postel said Tuesday, referring to Austin, Victoria and Lake Charles. “And many other sites across the Deep South will come close to their records.”
Heavy snow continued to fall on Monday in the Great Lakes region, disrupting travel, and in places like Chicago, Forced closure of schools With wind chills dropping to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Forecasters said the heaviest snowfall would occur in northern Michigan and western New York state, including Buffalo, and advised communities to prepare for continued risks through Wednesday.
The first of two icy blasts in the Arctic fueled wintry conditions in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley on Monday, bringing a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain as the weather system heads toward the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said, noting that it is likely A second air mass from the Arctic will arrive in the United States later this week after the first tapers.
“These wind chills may cause frostbite on exposed skin in a few minutes and hypothermia shortly thereafter. Avoid outdoor activities if possible. If you must be outside, dress appropriately, wear layers, and cover exposed skin.” Keep pets indoors. Get a cold survival kit if you have to travel, the weather service said.
Sub-zero temperatures
Temperatures at the Rapid City Airport in South Dakota already reached a record daily low on Sunday when they were recorded at -23 degrees, according to the local weather service office there. Temperatures across Missouri, as well as parts of Kansas and Ohio, are expected to drop below 10 or 15 degrees at lows and remain either around or below freezing at highs through Wednesday. In Alabama and Mississippi, state governors declared states of emergency in response to the freezing weather.
The National Weather Service in Jackson issued a “severe threat” warning Monday for a large area of Ohio, including Cleveland. Wind chills there can go down to -10 degrees – cold enough to cause frostbite in half an hour or less and cause hypothermia with prolonged exposure to the elements. A “major threat” warning was issued for Missouri and eastern Kansas, where temperatures could be a few degrees higher than Cleveland forecast with similar wind chills.
During the coldest days of the current cold front, states like Montana could see temperatures drop as low as -40 degrees, CBS News partner The Weather Channel reports. The National Weather Service previously warned that wind chills in that area could be even colder, saying it could reach -70 degrees in some places. In consultation Released early Sunday.
Along the northern part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas to northern Florida, cold temperatures are expected to dip into the low 20s, or perhaps a little lower, according to Weather Channel meteorologists. Meanwhile, farther south, forecasts are for temperatures to drop between 10 and 20 degrees, with single-digit readings in some areas.
Parts of Texas, Oklahoma and northern Arkansas could see subzero temperatures, and a little further north, lows could reach -20 in Iowa and Nebraska. The Iowa caucuses could be held on Monday evening New record low temperatures. In Chicago, where air temperatures reached -9 degrees, meteorologists noted that although the record had not yet been broken, It was approaching a freeze on some of the city's coldest days In recorded history.
“big ice”
Along the West Coast, forecasters warned people to brace for another round of severe weather on Tuesday, due to another storm coming ashore over the Pacific Northwest that is expected to drop freezing rain on southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, where the storm spawned on Saturday. In the occurrence of floods. A tree fell on a house, killing an elderly man inside. The National Weather Service in Portland said Monday that ice accumulation in those areas could reach a half-inch, making travel conditions “extremely dangerous.”
Parts of California will likely see rain as well, and snow will fall on higher elevation areas in the three states, the weather service said, adding that “the mix of snow and ice could cause hazardous conditions on roads across this region.”
