Parts of North Dakota, West Virginia and Virginia are under extreme cold warnings.
Parts of North Dakota, West Virginia and Virginia are under extreme cold warnings as a surge of Arctic air hits this weekend. Meanwhile, areas in South Carolina and North Carolina are under extreme cold watches, and parts of northern Ohio, central Pennsylvania and western New York are under freezing fog advisories.
It comes after NWS forecasters on Friday warned that “near record cold” along with “dangerous wind chills” is expected to track south from the Northern High Plains on Friday, spreading into the Central Plains and Ohio Valley on Saturday, then reaching the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday. Why It Matters The current polar vortex event is triggering some of the lowest temperatures of the season and is impacting Americans in multiple states. The combination of subzero temperatures and powerful winds poses a significant hypothermia and frostbite risk to anyone exposed for even a brief period, the NWS has warned. What To Know This weekend, “an arctic airmass will descend over the lower 48” via the Northern and Central Plains and the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valleys on Saturday, the NWS said its public discussion. It will then expand into the Midwest, Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley and East Coast on Sunday. “Some low maximum temperature records may be broken over the Upper Midwest/Michigan today with highs in the single digits to subzeros, forecasters said. Highs will be “in the teens,” around 20-30 degrees below average, forecasters said. In Minneapolis, temperatures were forecast to drop 10 to 15 degrees below zero Friday and Saturday night. Chicago is expected to see lows between zero and five below, with subzero wind chills throughout the weekend, while St. Louis will come close to zero, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bob Larson previously told Newsweek. The United States Postal Service has warned of potential delays for mail and package delivery due to the weather, specifically affecting Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. What People Are Saying NWS Grand Forks, in North Dakota, said: “Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside. Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat and gloves.” NWS Memphis Tennessee said: “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.” NWS Columbia, in South Carolina, said: “An extended period of freezing temperatures could cause ruptured water pipes… To prevent water pipes from freezing; wrap or drain or allow them to drip slowly.” What Happens Next The coldest air of the outbreak is forecast to gradually ease before Christmas as the pattern shifts and allows warmer air to move east. Forecasters expect some additional bursts of cold through the remainder of December, but these are not predicted to be as severe as the current episode, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
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