Arctic Blast: About 80% of the US Could See Below-Freezing Temps
In a relentless Arctic assault, nearly 80% of the United States is set to experience below-freezing temperatures, with over 140 daily cold records at risk of being shattered from Oregon to Mississippi.
The deep freeze, gripping 231 million Americans, extends from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast, as frigid air flows in from Canada. According to CNN, over 100 million people have been put under wind chill alerts, with breezy winds creating dangerous conditions.
This bitter cold front is not without its impacts on major cities, with snow finally breaking the snowless streak in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York City, where over 700 days have passed without an inch of snow in a single day.
The severe weather has wreaked havoc on travel plans, with about 9,100 flight delays and cancellations within, into, or out of the country on Monday. School closures have been announced in multiple states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, to ensure the safety of students amid the frigid temperatures.
Tragically, the severe weather has claimed at least five lives across Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, with Shelby County, including Memphis, reporting one weather-related death, and two in Oregon over the weekend.
The cold is expected to moderate slightly in the coming days. The FOX Forecast Center predicts a gradual improvement, assuring that the Arctic blast’s intensity will diminish, making temperatures only 20-30 degrees below average. However, it may take at least a week for temperatures to return to normal, providing respite to the over 250 million Americans currently enduring below-average temperatures.
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