Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Millions Across the US Brace for Plummeting Temperatures and Winter Storms
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 weeks ago on
January 20, 2025

A pedestrian crosses First Avenue as a winter storm sweeps over the intermountain West, plunging temperatures into the single digits and bringing along a light snow in its wake Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP/David Zalubowski)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BOSTON (AP) — Residents across the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine are bracing for dangerously low temperatures while the East Coast contends with a thick blanket of snow and the South prepares for a rare winter storm expected to disrupt travel from late Monday into Wednesday.

Winter storm warnings stretched from Texas to Florida on Monday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected in the region into Wednesday.

Heavy lake-effect snow was expected in western New York state Monday through Wednesday morning, with 1 to 2 feet (30 to 61 centimeters) possible in some areas including Oswego along Lake Ontario.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm warning in the coming days.

Snow on the Gulf Coast

The colder temperatures will dip into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas.

Winter storm warnings were in effect in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle on Monday. The storm was expected to impact Texas on Monday evening, then spread eastward through Wednesday morning with heavy snow expected along and to the north of the Interstate 10 corridor with sleet and freezing rain in south Texas and southeast Georgia and northern Florida.

Numerous freeze warnings were in place in northern Florida and along much of the Gulf Coast. Forecasters warned the sub-freezing morning lows will pose a risk to sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing in areas not accustomed to harsh winter temperatures.

The weather service warned that major traffic and travel disruptions were likely since these areas are not accustomed to impactful winter weather. Both William P. Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston announced on Sunday night that flight operations would be suspended Tuesday in anticipation of hazardous conditions. Widespread sub-freezing overnight lows were forecast along the Gulf Coast from Monday night through the rest of the week and the weather service warned that power outages were possible in areas of significant snow and ice, which could exacerbate the impacts of the cold weather.

The unusually cold temperatures and storm spurred officials in New Orleans to cancel an event they had planned Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Day. New Orleans residents woke up to below freezing temperatures Monday as the arctic blast moved into the region.

Return of the Arctic Blast

Much of the Eastern Seaboard will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter.

An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal weather over several days, with temperatures forecast to drop to between minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 48 degrees Celsius) on Monday. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

Minnesota residents were urged to wear appropriate clothing and carry a survival kit for travel. Kristi Rollwagen, director of homeland security and emergency management at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, also urged motorists to drive with a full tank of gas and a fully charged cellphone to keep in touch with loved ones.

“It’s not something we haven’t experienced before, it’s just a good reminder that it does get cold in Minnesota,” Rollwagen said.

The weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region as high temperatures in many places were expected only to rise into the single digits or teens Monday and Tuesday. Night-time wind chills could drop temperatures to minus 20 F (minus 29 C) or lower. Chicago’s high Monday only was expected to hit 10 F (minus 12 C), while Monday night’s low was targeted at minus 5 degrees F. Indianapolis was expected to hover around zero F at night on Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, Detroit was expected to dip to zero Monday night and an even colder minus 5 F (minus 21 C) on Tuesday night, according to the weather service.

The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office is investigating the death of an 80-year-old man who was found about 7 a.m. Sunday on a sidewalk in Milwaukee. An initial investigation has determined that the man fell about 2 a.m. Sunday and may have become incapacitated due to the weather. An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Washington, D.C., are expected to dip into the 20s (about minus 7 C to minus 1 C) with wind gusts upwards of 30 mph (48 kph), Chenard said. The forecast prompted President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Like earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.

Santa Ana Winds Expected To Return to Southern California

In Southern California, where blazes have killed at least 27 people and burned thousands of homes, strong Santa Ana winds were expected to return Monday with gusts between 70 and 90 mph (about 113 to 145 kph), according to Andrew Rorke, senior forecaster with the weather service in Oxnard, California.

The Eaton and Palisades fires should be sheltered somewhat from these winds, but more winds with lower humidity will hinder firefighting efforts, Rorke said. There is a particularly dangerous red flag warning in effect into Tuesday, meaning that “conditions are ripe for explosive fire growth should a fire start,” Rorke said.

However, there was some good news on the horizon, Rorke said, with rain in the forecast for the weekend with a quarter to a half inch (0.63 to 1.27 centimeters) of rain expected, he said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Mind-to-Text: How AI Is Learning to Decode Brain Signals Into Sentences

DON'T MISS

NAACP Urges Support for Companies Upholding DEI Commitments

DON'T MISS

Rape Lawsuit Against Jay-Z and Diddy Dropped, Legal Battles Continue for Combs

DON'T MISS

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

DON'T MISS

Draymond Green on the State of the NBA: It’s ‘Boring,’ the Warriors Star Says

DON'T MISS

DOJ Seeks to Drop Corruption Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

DON'T MISS

US Deports Immigrants to Venezuela After Judge Blocked Transfer to Guantanamo Bay

DON'T MISS

Abortions To Resume In Missouri After A Judge Blocks Restrictions

DON'T MISS

Legislative Immunity: A Privilege in Most States—Lawmaker’s Speeding Ticket May Change That

DON'T MISS

Trump’s EPA Reforms Cast Doubt on Toxic Site Cleanups

UP NEXT

NAACP Urges Support for Companies Upholding DEI Commitments

UP NEXT

Rape Lawsuit Against Jay-Z and Diddy Dropped, Legal Battles Continue for Combs

UP NEXT

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

UP NEXT

Draymond Green on the State of the NBA: It’s ‘Boring,’ the Warriors Star Says

UP NEXT

DOJ Seeks to Drop Corruption Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

UP NEXT

US Deports Immigrants to Venezuela After Judge Blocked Transfer to Guantanamo Bay

UP NEXT

Abortions To Resume In Missouri After A Judge Blocks Restrictions

UP NEXT

Legislative Immunity: A Privilege in Most States—Lawmaker’s Speeding Ticket May Change That

UP NEXT

Trump’s EPA Reforms Cast Doubt on Toxic Site Cleanups

UP NEXT

Rwanda-Backed Rebels Advance in Eastern Congo, Thousands Flee

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

15 hours ago

Draymond Green on the State of the NBA: It’s ‘Boring,’ the Warriors Star Says

16 hours ago

DOJ Seeks to Drop Corruption Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

17 hours ago

US Deports Immigrants to Venezuela After Judge Blocked Transfer to Guantanamo Bay

17 hours ago

Abortions To Resume In Missouri After A Judge Blocks Restrictions

17 hours ago

Legislative Immunity: A Privilege in Most States—Lawmaker’s Speeding Ticket May Change That

17 hours ago

Trump’s EPA Reforms Cast Doubt on Toxic Site Cleanups

17 hours ago

Rwanda-Backed Rebels Advance in Eastern Congo, Thousands Flee

18 hours ago

Kyle Larson Eyes Elusive Daytona 500 Win After Hot Start to 2025

18 hours ago

White South Africans Rally for Trump, Claim Racism Victimhood

18 hours ago

Mind-to-Text: How AI Is Learning to Decode Brain Signals Into Sentences

Imagine a world where your brain activity could be translated into text without lifting a finger. Sounds like the plot of a Black Mirror epi...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Mind-to-Text: How AI Is Learning to Decode Brain Signals Into Sentences

13 hours ago

NAACP Urges Support for Companies Upholding DEI Commitments

13 hours ago

Rape Lawsuit Against Jay-Z and Diddy Dropped, Legal Battles Continue for Combs

15 hours ago

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

16 hours ago

Draymond Green on the State of the NBA: It’s ‘Boring,’ the Warriors Star Says

17 hours ago

DOJ Seeks to Drop Corruption Case Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams

17 hours ago

US Deports Immigrants to Venezuela After Judge Blocked Transfer to Guantanamo Bay

17 hours ago

Abortions To Resume In Missouri After A Judge Blocks Restrictions

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend