On Friday morning, every state in the US was under an active weather watch from the National Weather Service (NWS). Now, as the weekend approaches, the entire country is bracing for a second round of dangerous storms and arctic temperatures.
This weekend through Wednesday, northern states coast-to-coast could see wind chills as low as -50F (-45C), according to the NWS. Midwest states — including Iowa, where the much-anticipated Republican caucuses are set to happen Monday — could drop as low as -20F (-28C) with wind chill.
States as far south as Texas could see single-digit temperatures. Amid these arctic temperatures, the western US will see heavy snow and the mid-south will see wintry precipitation into Sunday.
These conditions will be particularly dangerous for vulnerable groups across the country, such as infants, the elderly, people who work outdoors and unhoused people.
The NWS forecasts lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes this weekend, indicating heavy snow and whiteout conditions are likely. The northeast will be blanketed with snow early next week, the NWS forecasts, as they recover from heavy rain, flash floods and strong winds that knocked out power to nearly 900,000 homes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Much of the country will face arctic temperatures this weekend and into next week— (National Weather Service)
Meanwhile, the southeastern US saw another round of strong winds and possible tornadoes on Friday, according to the NWS, just days after Storm Finn swept through the area.
Storm damage from a suspected tornado in Panama City, Florida on Tuesday evening as Storm Finn blew through the region— (AP)
At least four deaths in the southern US were attributed to dangerous storm conditions earlier this week, and damaging tornadoes wrought destruction in several Florida panhandle communities.
