The historic freeze that brought sub-zero weather to all 48 lower states is set to thaw next week, though the respite from extreme cold may be brief.
Forecasters predict that the intense cold gripping much of the country over the past week will take a break but warn that another chilly blast will arrive soon.
A surge of bitter cold air is currently plunging through the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley, affecting the Midwest and Southeast in the upcoming weekend.
More than 100 million Americans were under alerts for extreme weather as a winter storm sweeps across the country on Friday.
This weather system, which has already battered the West Coast and led to 49 deaths, moved eastward, resulting in more than 2,000 flights being canceled or delayed.
The historic freeze that brought sub-zero weather to all 48 lower states is set to thaw next week, though the respite from extreme cold may be brief
In cities like Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, and Kansas City, the temperatures will go back up closer to average
More than 100 million Americans are under alerts for extreme weather as a winter storm sweeps across the country on Friday
This weather system, which has already battered the West Coast and led to 49 deaths, moved eastward, resulting in more than 2,000 flights being canceled or delayed
‘We still have some arctic air that’s hanging around the US from that nasty arctic blast that we had last week,’ meteorologist Ari Sarsalari with the Weather Channel said.
‘But it’s going to start to clear out during the early part of next week. And it’s going to feel so much better for a lot of people,’ he said.
In cities like Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas and Kansas City, the temperatures will go back closer to their averages.
Both the East Coast and West Coast are expected to experience warmer-than-average weather next week, according to the forecaster.
But before the thaw that could last until the end of the month, another bone-chilling wave of Arctic air is due to push southward heading into the weekend.
More than 12 states are still facing wind chills and freezing conditions heading into the weekend.
In the Midwest, the Arctic conditions are set to persist with lake-effect continuing to pepper the region and snow could pile up to 12 inches across parts of Indiana and Michigan.
An alert for ‘very cold’ wind chills has also been issued for the states along with warnings for Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa and Illinois.
Temperatures are projected to drop to the 20s below zero in parts of the Missouri Valley, while in Omaha and Kansas City, temperatures could plummet into the negative teens.
Fallen branches and ice covered trees are seen on Tuesday in Creswell, Oregon Winter turned its icy glare on the U.S. this week, blanketing cities and states from east to west with snow and sending temperatures into an Arctic spiral.
Park enforcement officers patrol on horses in New York’s Central Park on Friday. The National Weather Service forecasts 2 to 3 inches of snowfall for the region with temperatures in the upper 30s F for the weekend
In the Midwest, the Arctic conditions are set to persist with lake-effect continuing to pepper the region and snow could pile up to 12 inches across parts of Indiana and Michigan
After the weekend, the Plains, Midwest, and the South will finally experience a thaw, with milder air expected to flow into these regions.
All 48 lower states have experienced some of the worst bone-chilling weather in the past week, with thousands of flights canceled and dozens of lives lost.
Extreme snow and ice saw a brief ground stop in place at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, where temperatures plunged below freezing on Friday morning.
A Southern Airways Express flight carrying seven people was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday afternoon amid treacherous conditions.
An aircraft came to a stop on the Loudoun County Parkway with no injuries.
Meanwhile the Big Apple’s La Guardia airport was experiencing delays of around 178 minutes, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania due to be hit.
It comes after an American Airlines plane slid off a snowy taxiway in Rochester, New York, after a flight from Philadelphia. No injuries were reported.
The University of Pennsylvania announced it was shutting down operations on Friday amid forecasts of up to six inches of snow and weather warnings.
More than 60 oil spills and other environmental incidents have been reported in North Dakota´s Bakken oil fields, where regulators say wind chills as low as minus-70 degrees have strained workers and equipment, making accidents more likely.
In Kansas, authorities were investigating the death of an 18-year-old whose body was found Wednesday in a ditch not far from where his vehicle had become stuck in snow.
In Tennessee where authorities say there have been at least 14 weather related deaths, a new layer of ice formed over parts on Thursday.
The storm dumped more than nine inches of snow since Sunday on parts of Nashville, a city that rarely see such accumulations.
Temperatures also plunged below zero in parts of the state, creating the largest power demand ever across the seven states served by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The dead included a box truck driver who slid into a tractor-trailer on an interstate, a man who fell through a skylight while cleaning a roof, and a woman who died of hypothermia after being found unresponsive in her home.
Southern Airways Express flight 246 is seen having made an emergency landing on the Loudoun County Parkway, Friday afternoon near Washington Dulles International Airport
Plummeting temperatures could lead to tricky travel conditions due to slick roads. Pictured: A commuter catches the SEPTA R bus at Ridge Avenue and Midvale in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Friday
Delta Airlines de-icing crews spray down a plane on the tarmac of the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio early Friday morning. Forecasters predict treacherous travel conditions across the country
On Thursday, Will Compton of the nonprofit Open Table Nashville, which helps homeless people, stopped his SUV outside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to hand out warm hats, blankets, protein drinks and socks as icy rain fell.
‘People who are poor and people who are homeless are getting hit the hardest,’ Compton said.
In Mississippi´s capital city, an estimated 12,000 customers were dealing with low water pressure Thursday, another setback for Jackson´s long-troubled water system.
Pipe breaks accelerated Wednesday when the frozen ground began to thaw and expand, putting pressure on buried pipes, Jackson water officials said.
The water system experienced increased pressure due to a spike when people filled their bathtubs in response to what officials called a ‘deliberate misinformation campaign’ on social media about the city´s water supply.
Meanwhile in Florida, a blast of wintery air could push temperatures as low as the 30s.
Oregon’s governor declared a statewide emergency Thursday night after requests for aid from multiple counties ‘as they enter the sixth day of severe impacts’ from weather marked by freezing rain.
Thousands of residents have been without power since Saturday in parts of Oregon’s Willamette Valley after an ice storm caused extensive damage.
Portland Public Schools canceled classes for the fourth straight day amid concerns about icy roads and water damage to buildings, and state offices in Portland were also ordered closed Friday.
People ice skate in New York’s Central Park as snow falls during a winter storm on Friday
People walk a group of dogs during dnowfall in Central Park as the city gets its second snowfall in a week
A delivery driver makes their way through Times Square amid the winter storm sweeping east throughout Friday
On the East Coast, District of Columbia Public Schools closed Friday due to weather conditions.
In Washington state, five people – most of them presumed homeless – died from exposure to cold in just four days last week in Seattle as temperatures plummeted to well below freezing, the medical examiner´s office said.
The hard freeze warning coming into effect in Louisiana will stretch across to parts of southeast Texas. Locals have been warned to expect sub-freezing temperatures from 19 to 25F.
The state’s grid had managed to hold firm amid plunging temperatures earlier in the week despite fears of a repeat of the weather-related outages seen in the aftermath of the 2021 snowstorm.
In New Mexico, a gust of Arctic air brought a single digit start to the day for many, while Oklahoma is in for a similarly bitter weekend.
Central parts of the state will be deluged by freezing rain on Sunday night according to forecasters.
In Arizona, milder temperatures are set to give way to three storm systems moving in toward the end of the weekend, bringing downpours and weather alerts.