More than 235 million Americans are facing life-threatening and bitter cold weather this week as frigid air blasts much of the U.S.
An area including the Rockies and the Northern Plains, Northeast and even the Southeast are getting hit by winter weather that includes cold air and snow.
The cold air in Washington, DC, has forced President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors and resulted in school closures in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, Alabama, and Indiana.
More than 4,500 flights were delayed and over 530 were canceled at airports in Texas, according to tracker FlightAware.
The South
In the South and Southeast, a rare and significant winter storm is forecast to develop between Monday evening and Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain over southern Texas and parts of Georgia and Florida. The storm is expected to disrupt air and ground travel, and power outages are possible.
Major cities in Louisiana could see as many as 8 inches of snow, according to forecasters.
“I truly cannot remember an event in my lifetime with this type of confidence in the potential for a high-impact winter storm in our region,” local meteorologist Scot Pilié wrote on Instagram over the weekend. “Snow, sleet, and freezing rain all possible.”
The East
To the east, winter storm warnings were in effect through Monday morning for the Mid-Atlantic and New England, where temperatures would be in the teens and 20s.
Parts of New England also received up to 8 inches of snow overnight, according to NBC 10 Boston. The Boston area saw 4.5 inches.
“We encourage residents, business owners, and neighbors to clear sidewalks and sidewalk ramps as soon as possible as this initial snowfall is wet and messy, and the temperatures will drop drastically overnight making removal more difficult,” the City of Boston said in a post on X.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the cold is expected to shift east to Philadelphia, according to the forecasting company AccuWeather.
In nearby New York, lake-effect snow was expected to fall through Wednesday morning, bringing as much as 3 feet. Heavy bands of lake-effect snow will continue downwind of the Great lakes, with some showers in the Rockies and Plains regions.
High temperatures on Monday from the Great Basin and Rockies to the East Coast will be upwards of 20 to 30 degrees below January averages.
The Midwest
The Midwest will see the negative teens and single digits temperatures this week, the National Weather Service said.
The worst of the spell will be felt by Monday night across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with daytime temperatures not even passing 0 degrees there. Overnight, the temperatures are expected to plunge between 20 and 30 degrees below zero.
“This cold snap is coming at the climatological peak of winter when historical average temperatures hit their lowest values in many parts of the country. Since this is the heart of winter, record-low temperatures are near their lowest values as well,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said in a statement. “This may prevent widespread record-setting temperatures, but some record-low temperatures will likely be broken.”
AccuWeather warned that windy conditions will persist through the weekend, increasing the risk of cold-related illness like frostbite and hypothermia.
“In areas that experience windy conditions, like much of the Midwest early this week, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures can reach minus 40 to minus 50. It will feel brutally cold, and anyone adventuring outside can get frostbite on exposed skin in just a matter of minutes,” noted Douty.
With reporting from The Associated Press
