Extreme weather dominates in the U.S
A Cold Weather Emergency Plan for the Midwest, and a State-by-State Forecast for Kansas City, Buffalo, and the Jacksonville Superbowl
The NFL playoffs also start this weekend and temperatures in Kansas City — where the Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins — are expected to reach the single digits. And in Buffalo, where the Bills will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon, the NWS forecasts “heavy lake effect snow bands with gusty winds.”
Billy Callis, spokesman for Austin’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said that the emergency plan needs to change because the climate is changing. As the strong cold front intensifies, cities like Austin are creating guides and emergency kit checklists to prepare, as there is increased risk for frostbite and hypothermia.
The National Weather Service says that there are severe storms in the South that can cause damage. The wind levels can reach 75 mph.
A guide to cold weather safety tips has been issued by the National Weather Service. It encourages people to limit their time in the cold because it can take as little as 10 minutes for the skin to be damaged.
The storm may impact voter turnout at the caucuses in Iowa. Travelers were warned to stay off roads as the snow could make it hard to see.
“The NWS writes that the cold weather is expected to stick around going into next week with dangerously low temperatures and wind chills through at least midweek.”
More than a thousand flights were canceled out of Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports as of Friday, due to the severe weather in the Midwest.
The severe weather impacts of the winter storm are expected to stretch to much of the country, and there are weather advisories, watches, or warnings in every state.
The National Weather Service is projecting record-low temperatures for the next few days, and life-threatening cold for the weekend.
From blizzards to torrential rain, extreme weather dominates across the U.S. Forecasts for Southern California on Saturday and Sunday
Parts of northern California are under a flood watch. Eureka is expected to see between 2 to 4 inches of rain in coastal plans and valleys, while 5 to 8 inches of rain in higher elevations. The downpour may produce minor flooding and mudslides.
The combination of heavy snow and strong winds may cause a series of mountain-climbing related problems in Colorado. The watch was in effect until Monday.
In Northwest Oregon, freezing rain is expected to intensify and affect more areas on Saturday, which could cause tree and power line damage.
After blizzard conditions on Friday night, Idaho will continue to experience snowfall on Saturday. There is a chance the storm could produce more than 10 inches of snow in Idaho.
There is a good chance of snow in Nashville on Sunday through Tuesday. In total, between 2 to 4 inches is forecast for the music city. That snow is not expected to melt until at least Thursday.
The weather will be cold starting Sunday and lasting through Wednesday. The NWS says prolonged exposure to the low temperatures may result in frostbite or hypothermia. Pipes exposed to the cold may also be risk of damage.
Forecasters expect it to also be brutally cold in Arkansas through mid-week, with Saturday being the warmest day “for a while” and Tuesday bringing the coldest morning. The state may get less than half a foot of snow this weekend. The real danger is on Tuesday, with temperatures as low as -2 Fahrenheit in parts of northern Arkansas. The NWS said to beware of frostbite and try to keep a spare generator at home.
Outages and Flooding in New York, Florida, Washington and New York during the First Day of the Winter Solstic Season, according to PowerOutage.us
As of Saturday afternoon, some 350,000 customers were without power across several states, according to PowerOutage.us. The biggest share of outages was occurring in Michigan. A large part of Wisconsin, Oregon and New York were without electricity.
The governor of Florida postponed four events on Friday after campaigning in-person north of Des Moines, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, both former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump pivoted their Iowa events online on Friday. In a video to Iowa voters, Trump said he will try to make it to the state by late Saturday night.
In New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, areas near the waterfront and shoreline could receive up to 2.5 feet of flooding. Cars, parking lots, roads and buildings with basements are at risk of being flooded according to the National Weather Service.
There will be high winds and knee-high snow in New York and Vermont this weekend. Across Oswego, Watertown and Lowville in New York, between 1 to 3 feet of snow is expected to accumulate. The Vermont cities of South Colton and Star Lake will likely see between 6 to 18 inches of snow.
North and central Texas will see temperatures fall significantly below freezing, with some parts of northwest Texas bound for single digits. It’s slated for “life threatening” cold temperatures in several counties from Saturday night to Sunday morning.
Snow and cold conditions will reach parts of the US in coming days, the National Weather Service has said. “The cold weather is expected to stick around going into next week with dangerously low temperatures and wind chills through at least midweek,” it added. The cold weather is also expected to affect US states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.