ERCOT is asking Texans to continue to conserve power
The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, which serves most of the Lone Star State's roughly 30 million residents, asked consumers to keep the economy going for another day as cold temperatures persist.
Even with temperatures rising a bit tomorrow, there is expected to be an increase in energy demand as more people finally return to work or school after the long MLK Day weekend.
Today's expected high temperatures in Houston and Dallas are 36 and 28 degrees, respectively. Temperatures should rise to relatively mild 47 and 40 degrees in those cities tomorrow.
Texas wants to avoid the disaster that struck in February three years ago when an overwhelmed system left millions out in the cold, without power. US Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, famously returned to frigid Texas after taking off for the warm suburbs of Cancun, Mexico.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues a ground stop upon arrival at Philadelphia International Airport
the Fcom. ederal avia aAdministration Issued a weather-related ground stop On all flights arriving at Philadelphia International Airport until 1 p.m. ET.
Flights were still taking off from the airport as the temperature was 29 degrees with a light drizzle at 11:45 a.m.
Traditional cold-weather cities are finally seeing snow
While most of America spent last weekend hunkered down and sheltering from the snow, traditionally cold-weather cities from Washington, D.C., to New York were skating freely — even yesterday afternoon and this morning.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport received 4.1 inches since yesterday afternoon, while nearby Baltimore-Washington International Airport received 4.9 inches and Philadelphia International Airport recorded 3.3 inches.
About 1.4 inches had fallen in New York City's Central Park as of this morning.
After a weekend of brutal football weather, we are back to the usual cold weather
After a weekend in which the weather played a major role in the NFL playoffs, life on the field should return to its familiar, chilly settings.
It will be one of those cold spots in Baltimore football late Saturday afternoon when the top-seeded Ravens host the Houston Texans. The expected high temperature of 27 degrees with a wind gust of 18 that day will certainly be uncomfortable but not as unbearable as it was in Kansas City, where the Chiefs scored a wild win in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history American foot.
The Buffalo Bills and Chiefs are scheduled to battle it out early Sunday evening in Orchard Park, New York, with the high temperature that day expected to reach 26 degrees with a wind chill of 15 degrees. And that cold won't include the heavy snow that recently blanketed western New Jersey and forced the Wild Card Pittsburgh Steelers-Bills game to be postponed for 27 1/2 hours.
Nearly 40 people were treated for hypothermia in Fort Worth, Texas
At least 38 people, including a 15-year-old, have been treated for hypothermia in Texas since Friday, MedStar Mobile Healthcare said in a statement today.
One patient was found in serious condition on Sunday. The oldest person to receive treatment was 72 years old. Most of the patients were recovered from a street, highway or public building, while three of them sought help from a residence.
Under the severe weather response protocol, patients in an “unprotected environment” get a faster response when the “true” temperature drops below 20 degrees below zero, the company said. The priority is to “get the patient out of the elements and into a warm place.” “Ambulance as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Electric cars struggle to stay charged in Chicago
Electric vehicle drivers were waiting in long lines to replenish their batteries in Chicago yesterday, as a severe cold snap appeared to limit the performance of their cars.
People were waiting for hours in the Evergreen Park neighborhood, and some ran out of batteries and needed a tow truck to take them to the nearest charging point, NBC Chicago reported. Some cars run out of power before they can even drive a few miles to a charging machine.
Some studies have indicated that electric cars are less efficient and have a shorter range in extremely cold conditions, resulting in a reduction of up to 20%, according to a Norwegian study.
More than 1,000 flights canceled across the United States
Nearly 1,300 flights were canceled before 8:30 a.m. ET today, as airports across the country struggle with snow and icy conditions. There are more than 11,000 delays, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
Boston's Logan International Airport is facing delays as it de-ices departing planes, while there are delays at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, which received more than an inch of snow in the past 24 hours.
Baltimore-Washington International Airport ordered a ground halt this morning, while New York's LaGuardia Airport ordered flight delays due to snow and ice.
Firefighters rescue a dog that fell into an icy pond in Utah
A dog named Bob found himself stuck in an icy pond near the outskirts of Salt Lake City, but firefighters were able to pull the dog to safety. Officials took the opportunity to remind people to be extra careful with children and pets around ponds or other bodies of water this winter.
New York City is seeing its heaviest snowfall in nearly two years
New York City's 701-day stretch without significant snow has ended.
There were 1.4 inches on the ground in Central Park this morning, ending a snow-free streak dating back to February 2022, according to the weather service. More snow is expected today, making travel conditions dangerous.
“The streak has ended,” the agency said in a post on X just after 7 a.m. ET.
The city issued a travel warning last night, urging residents to be cautious and allow additional time to travel. However, schools remain open for the time being.
More than 2 feet of lake-shaped snow is set to fall in New York
More than two feet of lake effect snow could fall in the next two days east and northeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario, the weather service in Buffalo, New York, said early today.
Buffalo was seeing light snow and temperatures around 15 degrees this morning, but the wind chill factor could make it feel like 10 below zero later today.
The deadly Arctic blast took over more than 80% of the country
The Arctic blast swept through more than 80% of the country, killing at least seven people across the country. Some areas feel like 50 degrees below zero. NBC's Erin McLaughlin and “TODAY's” Al Roker report tracking the latest forecasts.
Cities across Arkansas set new records for low temperatures
North Little Rock was among the towns and cities across Arkansas to set a new record low temperature yesterday, with much of the South facing storm surge, freezing rain and wind chills.
The temperature in North Little Rock reached 6 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the record high of 11 degrees set in 1979, the weather service said.
Mountain Home in the southern Ozark Mountains was even colder at minus 2 degrees, but that tied the previous record, also set in 1979.
There's still a way to beat the state's all-time record low of minus 29, set in Gravette in 1905.
Texas order to conserve energy during freezing conditions
People across Texas are being asked to conserve power this morning during a winter storm that could affect the entire state.
People can limit their electricity and gas use between 6 and 9 a.m. to meet renewed energy demand, the Texas Electricity Reliability Council said in a news release.
The council suggests lowering the thermostat by a few degrees, not using large household appliances, such as washing machines, and turning off lights when not in use.
Snowboarding in Alabama
Ja'Vion Griffin rides the hill behind the University of North Alabama baseball field in Florence yesterday.
Winter Storm Warning for Maryland and Washington
A winter storm warning is in place for parts of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and northeastern Virginia until 10 a.m. ET today.
Yesterday, more than an inch of snow fell in Baltimore and Washington, the heaviest snowfall in the two cities in two years.
What are the dangers of cold winds?
More than 140 million people are under wind chill advisories or warnings, and are being urged to be careful and stay out of the wind. But why is it so dangerous?
Wind chill is when wind makes cold weather colder. The stronger the wind, the faster the body loses heat and the greater the chance of hypothermia or frostbite.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns that higher wind speeds could significantly increase the risks.
With temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees and 5 mph winds, frostbite can occur in 10 minutes or less. When the temperature is minus 20 but with wind speeds of 45 mph, frostbite can occur in 5 minutes or less. The wind chill value in both cases is minus 58, but much higher winds remove body heat at a much faster rate.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advises people not to go outside at all when the wind chill is 50 degrees below zero or below, but if absolutely necessary, cover every part of the body, including fingers, face, etc. . People are advised to drink plenty of fluids, but avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol because they constrict blood vessels.
Video shows the bus sliding on ice and crashing into a fire hydrant in Philadelphia
Video filmed in North Philadelphia shows a bus sliding on ice and hitting a fire hydrant while trying to drive on a snow-covered road. No injuries were reported.
Fallen tree obliterates a house in Oregon
A photo released by the local fire department shows a home that was severely damaged after a tree fell due to severe weather in Lake Oswego, Oregon, yesterday.
Freezing weather is closing schools across the country
Schools across the United States will be closed today after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday yesterday. Below is a list of areas that are fully or partially closed.
In Chicago and Buffalo, New York, all classes and after-school activities were canceled amid temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees with wind chills.
There are a range of closures across the South, including: North Georgia; Houston; Dallas-Fort Worth; Nashville, Tennessee; East Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Alabama and Little Rock, Arkansas.
The United States is still frozen, and there is more to come
Another day of snow storms, warnings and subzero temperatures were set for communities across the Lower 48, the National Weather Service said early today.
She added that winter precipitation along the east and west coasts coincides with “freezing Arctic air” over the central and southern parts of the country. Potential record cold temperatures are expected across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Midwest today.
Wind chills below 30 below zero may extend south and into the Mississippi Valley. Nearly 80% of the United States was experiencing subzero temperatures overnight.
The mid-Atlantic to New England has widespread winter warnings or advisories, and 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible in New York State.
Significant freezing rain is expected in the Pacific Northwest, including Portland, with ice storm warnings in place — and up to a half-inch of ice could fall, the weather service said. Parts of the Cascade Mountains in the Rocky Mountains could see 15 to 28 inches of snow.
There may be a brief respite in the harsh winter weather from tomorrow, with below-average temperatures expected but not too cold. But another blast of cold air is expected in the Arctic from Thursday into Friday, which will trigger more weather warnings in its wake.
State of emergency as US faces Arctic blast
Millions of Americans are still dealing with the Arctic blast moving across the country. The storm system is already believed to have claimed 10 lives. Jesse Kirsch reports from Michigan.
