Winter storms in the United States may deliver record-breaking Arctic cold and snow to the Midwest and Northeast.
January 13, 2024, 11:49 p.m. EST, CBS/AP
On Saturday, icy winter weather covered the United States, threatening to smash low-temperature records in the Midwest, spread cold and snow from coast to coast, and put a chill over everything from football finals to presidential campaigns.
The weather forecast was a wild quilt of color-coded advisories as the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend started, from an ice storm warning in Oregon to a blizzard alert in the northern Plains to strong wind warnings in New Mexico.
Governors from New York to Louisiana have issued warnings to people to prepare for severe weather.
“It’s been a terrible, terrible winter overall.” “And it came out of nowhere—two days,” Dan Abinana remarked as he gazed out the window at a snow-covered Des Moines, Iowa. He immigrated to the state as a youngster from Tanzania, but “you never get used to the snow.”
As freezing rain and heavy snow poured in a city more accustomed to mild winter showers, medical examiners in Portland, Oregon, were investigating a hypothermia fatality, and hundreds of others sought shelter overnight at warming centers. Earlier this week, weather-related deaths were recorded in California, Idaho, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Gov. Jim Pillen of Nebraska declared a state of emergency, citing “very dangerous conditions.” Over the last week, some locations received up to 2 feet of snow, with wind chills far below zero.
The storm caused a 100-vehicle stop on Iowa’s Interstate 80 as semitrailers jackknifed on the slick road and impeded traffic. Some vehicles were stranded in the same location for five hours while blowing snow around them. Tow trucks were sent in to get them off the road.
Vehicles are becoming trapped on routes marked “TRAVEL NOT ADVISED” or “IMPASSABLE,” according to the Iowa State Patrol.
“Many roads are drifting shut,” said Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla. “They (road crews) are working like crazy with snowblowers to get some roads open, but they’re actually struggling.” Because of the tremendous gusts we’re experiencing right now, the moment they open them, they blow immediately back shut.”
Winter Storms cancels NFL playoff game
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a warning of a “dangerous storm” as she announced the postponement of the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL playoff game from Sunday to Monday. Residents in Buffalo County were advised to remain off the roads beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday, with the prediction calling for 1 to 2 feet of snow and gusts blowing up to 65 mph.
Arctic temperatures might set new records.
The temperature in parts of Montana plummeted to -30 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service predicted comparable temperatures as far north as northern Kansas, with minus 50 F likely in the Dakotas. The National Weather Service issued an unusual and “life-threatening” cold warning for St. Louis.
“We’ve now had multiple back-to-back storms” moving throughout the country, according to weather service meteorologist Zach Taylor. That happens at least a couple of times during the winter in the United States.
Still, it felt unexpected to Eboni Jones of Des Moines because of “how much we’re getting all within one week.”
“It’s pretty crazy out,” Jones commented as he shoveled snow.
Grant Rampton, 25, of Des Moines, battled a wind chill of -20 degrees Fahrenheit to go sledding with pals at a golf course, fighting the cold with layers of clothes, insulated socks, and regular movement.
“It’s a great state to be in,” Rampton, an Iowa native, remarked. “There’s not as much to do, in winter especially, but you can make your own fun, like out here, sledding with your friends.”
The temperature in certain sections of Iowa might drop to -14 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, when the state’s caucuses start off the presidential primary season. Forecasters predicted that below-zero windchills would last until Wednesday.
Many people have restricted travel options.
Due to the winter storm, Republican candidates Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump all postponed weekend campaign appearances. Trump suggested the cold weather may work to his advantage because it could hinder support for his opponents, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, on caucus night. Trump stated that his staff advised him that the cold temperatures may benefit his turnout.
Plow drivers in Iowa battled Saturday to keep roads clean in the face of heavy snow and gusts blowing up to 30 mph, which pushed snow back onto highways as soon as they were plowed. The Iowa Department of Transportation has issued a travel advisory for the whole state.
Cars were stopped for five hours on Interstate 80 in blowing snow after semitrailers jackknifed in hazardous circumstances. Since Friday, state troopers have responded to 86 collisions and 535 motorist-assist calls, according to State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla.
Road staff were “working the snowblowers like crazy,” Dinkla added, but heavy gusts were pushing snow right back onto the roads.
Dinkla stated that the majority of the assistance was to help stop automobiles and trucks from getting unstuck. Accidents have injured fifteen people. A semitrailer collided with and nearly wrecked a state police cruiser on an icy interstate roadway. The soldier was unharmed.
Even snow-free highways are dangerous.
“The thing that we’re seeing is that people think that roadways are clear in a lot of areas, but they’re not able to slow down because the roadways are a sheet of ice,” he added.
The air temperature at the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation in South Dakota was minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday morning, but a whipping wind of 30 miles per hour made it seem like a negative 48 degrees Fahrenheit. With the homeless shelter already full, tribe chiefs provided a gym for those in need of refuge.
