Hundreds of millions of Americans are preparing for a massive cold wave. Many regions are already experiencing frost of several dozen degrees combined with strong winds. According to forecasts, the next few days will also bring snowstorms and freezing precipitation.
Hard frost made its presence felt in North Dakota, bordering Canada. According to the American station CNN, due to gusty winds the temperature felt there was -49 degrees Celsius. On Monday morning, alerts were in force in an area inhabited by 235 million people. Alerts were issued from southeast Texas to New York and the northeastern corner of the country. An 80-year-old man died Sunday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after he collapsed while outdoors. Local services suspect that hypothermia was the cause of his death.
Historic frosts
American forecasters predict that the strongest frosts will occur from Monday evening until Wednesday. Negative temperatures will remain for several days in Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, New York, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia, among others. On Wednesday morning, Houston, Austin and San Antonio in Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, could see minimum temperatures drop to record highs last seen in the 2030s.
An additional threat will be the wave of rain and snow traveling through the country. Particularly heavy snowfall is forecast overnight and Tuesday in the Southeast, from Houston, Texas, through New Orleans to the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. There may be snowstorms and blizzards there, and road conditions are expected to be extremely difficult. There was a snowstorm in Pennsylvania a collision on one of the highways. Power outages are also forecast.
“I am confident that we will experience hazardous weather,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who announced that both of Houston's civilian airports would be closed throughout Tuesday due to storm and cold.
The Great Lakes region is also preparing for heavy snowfall. NWS in Buffalo reported that due to the lake effect, 30 centimeters of snow is expected to be added to some points on the shores of Ontario by Tuesday morning, and precipitation is also forecast on Wednesday.
Frostbite in five minutes
In addition to snowfall, very low temperatures and strong wind gusts are expected in the coming days, which may create dangerous road conditions. Local NWS offices in North Dakota and Minnesota warned of extreme wind chill temperatures that will drop below -40 degrees Celsius overnight. Residents of the town of Bottineau in North Dakota, near the border with Canada, are expected to feel the coldest, with a forecast of -48 degrees Celsius.
– Frostbite can appear on exposed skin in just 5-10 minutes – meteorologists reminded.
Unfavorable weather conditions have already caused numerous disruptions to air traffic at airports in the New York area. Nearly 130 flights were canceled and as many more were delayed. Difficult conditions also affected travelers in Washington and Boston. Roads will remain slick through Monday morning, especially along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York. Also in the south of the country, in the state of Louisiana, final preparations are underway before winter hits.
“We are applying brine to bridges and overpasses and our crews are working to keep the roads safe,” the state transportation authority said.
New York Mayor Eric Adams urged residents to use public transportation to ease the burden on snow removal services. He also recommended that people offer help to neighbors who may be having heating problems or frozen pipes.
Snowy evening in Central ParkENEX
Main photo source: ENEX