Temperatures near or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit are set to grip the eastern third of the country this week, with wind chill making it feel as cold as -50 in some areas.
The National Weather Service warned early Wednesday that a “dangerously cold Arctic air front” would bring single-digit or sub-zero temperatures to the Northern Plains on Thursday and into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and the Northeast by Sunday.
And more severe weather is on the way: this cold airmass is set to interact with a frontal zone to the South, generating a “major winter storm” that will impact a huge area from Texas to the East Coast from Friday and through the weekend.
From Wednesday, strong gusty winds will lead to dangerous wind chills, prompting extreme cold warnings and watches for the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest beginning Wednesday night.
Frostbite and hypothermia can occur even in calm, windless conditions, according to the NWS.
Snow and icy conditions in the Northeast are already causing havoc, with multiple reports of road accidents. Interstate-90 in New York was closed westbound Tuesday night due to multiple crashes, New York State Police said.
The fire department in Fredonia, New York, shared images on social media of a pile-up involving 60 vehicles on I-90 that stretched over 6 miles.
The Great Lakes are also set to receive between 6 and 12 inches of lake effect snow through Friday, with up to 2 feet due in areas downwind of Lake Ontario. Winter storm warnings are in place downwind of Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario.
Parts of upstate New York across Interstate-81 towards the Tug Hill region were already in blizzard conditions Tuesday night with near zero visibility, the NWS Buffalo office said Tuesday night.
Heavy snow in Queens, N.Y., on Jan. 17.Liao Pan / AP
Ahead of the expected storm on Friday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said on X, “It looks like there will be winter weather coming our way,” and that people should prepare for potential power outages.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state’s emergency response resources on Tuesday, ahead of potentially severe winter weather expected from Thursday.
“As temperatures could drop below freezing and regions of Texas face snow, ice, and freezing rain, it is crucial that Texans remain weather-aware, check DriveTexas.org before traveling, and heed the guidance of state and local officials,” he said in a statement.
