Arlington, VA --- A strong freeze that hit most of the country Sunday threatened to cover dozens of states in snow and ice, plunge temperatures as low as Florida, and disrupt travel, football, and Iowa Caucus voting.
Sunday, over 100 million Americans had wind chill advisories or warnings, while over 44 million had cold weather advisories. Weather was 20-40 degrees below normal across the nation.
Subfreezing wind chills were forecast in Montana and the Dakotas and northern Texas. National Weather Service: North Dakota could get "life-threatening wind chills as low as 60 below zero." The South Dakota Department of Public Safety warned Sunday that frostbite can occur in minutes. AccuWeather predicts a mid-Atlantic and New England winter storm with snow and ice from Monday until Tuesday night. The jet stream will carry the storm and frigid air over the country in the coming days.
"For much of the country, this will end up being the coldest and most persistent outbreak of arctic air in a couple of winters," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz. Developments: ∎ Texas' power infrastructure is operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which expects it to operate regularly. City and county leaders and energy experts have warned of significant weather-related disruptions. In 2021's winter storm, about half of Texas' generation capacity was knocked offline due to frozen equipment and other weather-related issues, leaving 4 million Texans without power.
The Cold Weather Emergency in Washington, D.C. was organized by Mayor Muriel Bowser for Monday through Thursday. Human services will provide homeless people with shelters, warming buses, gloves, blankets, and handwarmers. While deep freezes are rare in Arlington, authorities recommend wrapping pipes or running water at a trickle to prevent cracking and freezing: "Temperatures will drop this week. Consider pipes."
Texas-TN snow and ice Sunday snowfall in Texas, Oklahoma, and southern Kansas was projected to expand to Arkansas, Missouri, the Tennessee Valley, and the southern Appalachians on Monday. The weatherman forecasted almost a foot of snow. Texas and southeastern Oklahoma were expected to see severe ice late Sunday, followed by Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee on Monday.
Officials in the South warned of subfreezing temperatures. After Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency, utility and supply trucks had more freedom. Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott advised Texans to protect themselves, their families, and their homes. In Jackson, Mississippi's capital, officials anticipated cold weather. In 2021 and 2022, cold snaps ruptured pipes, decreasing municipal water pressure. Ted Henifin, Jackson's temporary water system manager, told WAPT-TV that staff could mend broken pipes.
3 feet of snow, 50-mph winds Buffalo was attacked in the Northeast, postponing a Sunday NFL playoff game. National Weather Service: A lake-effect snow band will drop 1 to 2 feet across the area, and some communities may get 3 feet. The weather service projected 50-mph winds and near-blizzards.