A new burst of arctic air was on the way, and there is an “increasing potential of another significant winter storm” for Eastern states this weekend, the National Weather Service said.
Extreme cold warnings were in place for millions from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, as communities across the eastern third of the United States repaired damage from a huge winter storm that has killed at least 48 people.
As the full scope of the storm’s destruction became clearer Tuesday, the death toll climbed. Louisiana’s Health Department has reported eight weather-related deaths, while Tennessee’s Health Department reported five. In Kentucky, a 72-year-old woman died of hypothermia, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said 10 people were discovered dead outdoors.
“We don’t yet know whether every case will be ruled hypothermia, but we need every New Yorker to be on alert, looking out for their neighbors,” Mamdani said.
The National Weather Service said temperatures would remain well below normal levels for the rest of the week and into next. Around 80% of the U.S. population is expected to experience below-freezing temperatures over the next week.
Record lows are possible all the way into Monday morning, encompassing regions from the southern Plains to the Northeast. On Sunday morning, temperatures as cold as the mid-30s will reach as far south as Miami.
Low temperatures bring life-threatening risks
Anew burst of arctic air on the way as well as “increasing potential of another significant winter storm” for Eastern states this weekend, the weather service said.
The country could be hit by its lowest temperatures in several years, and it could be the longest cold spell for several decades. Below-freezing temperatures have been recorded in New York City, while temperatures below 10 degrees were reported in Washington, D.C.
Around 72 million people from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic remained under cold weather alerts Tuesday afternoon, and a freeze warning is in effect overnight for parts of the Gulf Coast, where below-freezing temperatures are possible. Low temperatures of zero degrees are also expected Wednesday in Chicago, while Dallas could have a low of 17 degrees.
“Low temperatures in the single digits to below zero pose a life-threatening risk of hypothermia and frostbite even without wind,” the weather service said in an update Monday.
Snow of at least 12 inches has landed in a huge area stretching from Arkansas to New England, causing widespread disruption, while Pittsburgh got more than 20 inches, as well as temperatures as low as minus 25.
Lake effect snow is expected to continue through the week, with 8 to 16 inches forecast for New York’s Tug Hill Plateau.
Power outages and flight cancellations
More than 500,000 energy customers were without power across the country Tuesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com, including 155,738 in Tennessee and almost 140,000 in Mississippi, raising the alarm for vulnerable people who may struggle to heat their homes.
While some airports were starting to reopen, there were still more than 2,190 flight cancellations and over 4,630 delays listed by FlightAware on Tuesday afternoon.
New York City declared an “enhanced code blue” due to the extreme cold, and the city’s Emergency Management Department would open more than 50 hospitals and shelters to provide warmth for people who need it.
In Dallas, about 1,150 homeless people were in a shelter provided by the city, as well as 10 households and 14 pets.
The severe weather has put huge pressure on emergency services that have faced high levels of callouts and carried out widespread rescues. State troopers in New Hampshire responded to 126 crashes since the storm began.
In Pittsburgh, there was almost an inch of snow per hour Monday, making it the second-biggest 24-hour snow accumulation in 30 years. Mayor Corey O’Connor declared a state of emergency and said some 37 snowplows broke down in the city because of the extreme cold.
A state trooper in Louisiana caught the moment a tree fell onto a road in Natchitoches Parish, illustrating how trees and power lines are weighed down by the extreme cold, causing widespread disruption and damage.
Adrian Ronca-Hohn told The Associated Press that about 40 trees collapsed around his property in northeast Mississippi, meaning he and his family will have to chainsaw their way out. “I mean, it looks like a war zone out here,” he said. “We couldn’t go 10 seconds without hearing what sounded like a gunshot.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he would deploy 500 National Guard troops by Wednesday to help remove debris and manage traffic. “We will get through this,” he said. “We’re not going to get through it today and we’re not going to get through it tomorrow.”
The city of Monroe, Louisiana, issued a precautionary warning to boil water for a minute before drinking it because the weather had caused it to have “questionable microbiological quality” due to “temporary operational challenges.”
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