New York State is experiencing a brutal and prolonged arctic blast, leading to dangerous cold temperatures across a massive swath of the US. This arctic blast is causing extreme cold weather conditions in new areas to the south and east, while also bringing snow, ice, and harsh conditions to parts of the South. The coldest Iowa caucuses on record are expected to take place on Monday, with below-zero temperatures and wind chills in the minus 30s across the state. These frigid wind chills can cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes on exposed skin.
Nearly 79% of the US is expected to see below freezing temperatures, with over 140 daily cold records potentially being broken from Oregon to Mississippi. Memphis, Dallas, and Nashville are expected to stay below freezing for at least 72 consecutive hours. The treacherous travel conditions have already claimed one life, as a pickup truck careened off a snowy highway in Arkansas and hit a tree. The wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will continue to make travel hazardous in Texas, the Lower Mississippi Valley, the Tennessee Valley, and the Southern Appalachians.
In addition to the cold temperatures, life-threatening wind chills are affecting more than 140 million people in the US. Breezy winds are contributing to these dangerous wind chills, and areas from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and Iowa are expecting wind chills of 30 degrees below zero. As Texas grapples with freezing cold, ERCOT, which manages 90% of the state’s electric load, has warned of tight grid conditions and asked Texans to conserve electricity use.
Snow from this storm is expected to push across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, potentially ending the snowless streak in cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. The storm has already brought snowfall to areas like New York, where workers had to remove snow from Highmark Stadium. More than 70 million people are under winter weather alerts, with snow falling from Oklahoma to Virginia and ice accumulating in southern areas.
The storm is expected to persist in parts of the Tennessee Valley, increasing snow totals there. Meanwhile, areas from Texas to Mississippi are experiencing a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet, leading to hazardous road conditions. Memphis, which has had no measurable snow this year, could see between 3 and 7 inches. The storm is set to clear the South by late Tuesday and move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, potentially bringing more snow.
This arctic blast has already broken numerous cold daily records across the central US, and the Weather Prediction Center warns of potential winter storm impacts in parts of Arkansas, northwest Mississippi, and western Tennessee. Oregon is also facing significant challenges, as it deals with the aftermath of a winter storm that caused widespread power outages and damage due to ice and strong winds. Tragically, two weather-related deaths were reported in the Portland area. Another storm is expected to bring more ice to the region on Tuesday.