Millions of people in the United States prepare for falling temperatures and winter storms

BOSTON (AP) — Residents across the country, from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine, are prepare for dangerously low temperatures as tens of millions of residents along the East Coast grapple with a thick blanket of snow – and more snowfall is forecast.

Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service were in effect for parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Monday morning, and warnings began in New England Sunday afternoon. Heavy lake effect snow was expected in Western New York Monday through Wednesday morning, with 2 to 3 feet (about 60 to 90 centimeters) possible in some areas, including Oswego along Lake Ontario.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, predicts that up to 70 million residents will be under some sort of winter storm warning in the coming days.

Return of the Arctic Explosion

Sunday’s snowfall was just the start of a chaotic week. Much of the East Coast will experience some of the coldest temperatures this winter.

A region from the Rocky Mountains to the Northern Plains will experience colder than normal weather for several days, with temperatures expected to drop to between minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) and minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 48 degrees Celsius) on Monday . Subzero wind chills are expected to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

Minnesota residents were urged to wear appropriate clothing and bring a survival kit when traveling. 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 cell phone to stay in touch with loved ones .

“It’s not something we’ve ever experienced before, it’s just a good reminder that it’s cold in Minnesota,” Rollwagen said.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Washington, D.C., are expected to dip into the 20s (around minus 7 C to minus 1 C) with wind gusts exceeding 30 mph (48 km/h), Chenard said. These predictions led to the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump being moved. inside the rotunda of the US Capitol.

Like at the beginning of the month, this last cold snap comes from a disruption of the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped around the North Pole.

The cold air will moderate as it moves south and east, but the central and eastern United States will still see temperatures in the 15C to 20C range on Monday until Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast will also see highs in the 20s and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees F (minus 18 C), and sub-zero wind chills.

Unusual mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain

Colder temperatures will plunge into the South early this week, where up to 30 million people could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain starting Monday. The unusual conditions are expected to extend from Texas to northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected beginning Monday evening in Texas, then spreading throughout the Gulf Coast and Southeast Tuesday through Wednesday.

Frigid air combined with a low pressure system over the Gulf is causing the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor through northern Louisiana and into Mississippi, as well as a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency Saturday ahead of the severe weather, urging residents to prepare and monitor the forecast.

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Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York. She can be reached at https://x.com/jwalkreporter. Dave Collins contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. Bruce Shipkowski contributed from Toms River, New Jersey.