Baby, it’s cold outside, and it’s about to get even colder for much of the United States.
A polar vortex of brutally cold air that normally surrounds the Arctic will sweep south starting this weekend and into next week, bringing sub-freezing temperatures to many parts of the country.
More than 120 million people could face bone-chilling conditions, with nearly 50 million Americans in 30 states facing temperatures below minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit.
“An Arctic blast will hit the Rockies and Great Plains first on Friday, reach the Deep South and Great Lakes by Saturday night, and the Eastern Seaboard by Sunday night, bringing the coldest weather of the season so far,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said Friday afternoon in its posted on the website.
From Saturday into Tuesday, the Rockies, Northern Plains and Upper Midwest could experience wind chills of 30 to 50 below zero. Subzero wind chills are forecast to reach the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley overnight Sunday into Wednesday, while dangerously cold weather is expected to continue along the Gulf Coast and Southeast through much of next week, according to the NWS.
Cold winds and snow can strain vital infrastructure
Dangerously cold winds and extreme low temperatures can cause pipes to freeze and burst, affect the power grid and increase the risk of hypothermia and frostbite. The Washington Post.
“Nearly 80 million Americans will experience below-freezing temperatures next Tuesday when extreme cold Canadian/Siberian Arctic air descends into the Low 48s,” meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote at X . “The national average will be just 6°F.”
AccuWeather forecasters said Sunday’s blizzard will move northeast, hitting Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.[ing] Enough snow for shoveling and plowing in areas from West Virginia to Maine.
The weather is likely to cause traffic problems and flight cancellations, which is bad news for those traveling to Washington for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Trump said he was moving the inauguration ceremony indoors due to the forecast, writing on Truth Social that, “In addition to prayers and other speeches, the inauguration speech will be delivered in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, as used by Ronald Reagan. In 1985, also because of the very cold weather.