US mid-west, north-east brace for blast of Arctic air
7 Jan 2014 5:29 AM IST
Many parts of the US midwest braced for a blast of Arctic air this weekend that could bring some of the coldest temperatures in two decades before advancing to the north-east, where residents are still digging out from a deadly snowstorm.
Starting Sunday, the deep freeze will be felt in the northern US plains, including North and South Dakota, and through the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
It will be some of the coldest weather to grip the region in two decades, with blizzard conditions expected in the Central Plains and Great Lakes regions, forecasters said.
‘The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,’ said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. ‘Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.’ In northeastern Canada, about 110,000 customers were without power due to a transformer fire on Saturday linked to heavy snow, government officials and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said.
The push of Arctic air could bring record low temperatures from Montana to Michigan, before moving the north-east, where it will arrive by early Tuesday, forecasters said.
Temperatures in Chicago could drop to about minus 20 (minus 29 Celsius). Pittsburgh could see temperatures about 11 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 24 celsius) by early Tuesday.
Temperatures were forecast to fall to 30 below in parts of the north central United States early Sunday morning, and in Grand Forks, North Dakota, wind chills were expected to exceed 50 below. A high of 19 below is forecast for Sunday.
‘You grin and bear it and bundle up,’ said Rachel Osowski, a clerk at Hugo’s Supermarket in Grand Forks. ‘You have to survive and function, you can’t let the weather stop you.’ In such conditions, frostbite can set in on exposed skin within five minutes, forecasters warned. Preparing for the dangerous weather, officials in several states asked residents to use extra precautions when outdoors.
The storm comes on the heels of a massive weather system that slammed the US midwest and north-east just after New Year’s Day, causing several deaths, grounding thousands of flights and forcing schools and government offices to close.
A total of 1,266 flights were canceled across the United States and 6,036 flights delayed on Saturday, with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey among the most affected, according to tracking firm FlightAware.com.
Starting Sunday, the deep freeze will be felt in the northern US plains, including North and South Dakota, and through the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
It will be some of the coldest weather to grip the region in two decades, with blizzard conditions expected in the Central Plains and Great Lakes regions, forecasters said.
‘The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,’ said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. ‘Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.’ In northeastern Canada, about 110,000 customers were without power due to a transformer fire on Saturday linked to heavy snow, government officials and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said.
The push of Arctic air could bring record low temperatures from Montana to Michigan, before moving the north-east, where it will arrive by early Tuesday, forecasters said.
Temperatures in Chicago could drop to about minus 20 (minus 29 Celsius). Pittsburgh could see temperatures about 11 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 24 celsius) by early Tuesday.
Temperatures were forecast to fall to 30 below in parts of the north central United States early Sunday morning, and in Grand Forks, North Dakota, wind chills were expected to exceed 50 below. A high of 19 below is forecast for Sunday.
‘You grin and bear it and bundle up,’ said Rachel Osowski, a clerk at Hugo’s Supermarket in Grand Forks. ‘You have to survive and function, you can’t let the weather stop you.’ In such conditions, frostbite can set in on exposed skin within five minutes, forecasters warned. Preparing for the dangerous weather, officials in several states asked residents to use extra precautions when outdoors.
The storm comes on the heels of a massive weather system that slammed the US midwest and north-east just after New Year’s Day, causing several deaths, grounding thousands of flights and forcing schools and government offices to close.
A total of 1,266 flights were canceled across the United States and 6,036 flights delayed on Saturday, with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey among the most affected, according to tracking firm FlightAware.com.
Next Story
