next week
said that much of the Lower 48 should brace for ‘the coldest air-mass of the season to date’ from Friday to January 24.
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, the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming.
could also experience below-zero temperatures.
see minimum wind chills of -30 F or colder Saturday into Tuesday, according to the NWS.
The freezing temperatures will likely freeze and burst pipes and significantly strain power grids as people scramble to heat their homes.
to exposed skin. Have a cold weather survival kit if traveling,’ the agency warned.
Snow and slippery roads are also set to hit the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday, with a wintery mix potentially in the Deep South early next week.
All states in the Lower 48, and more than 80 percent of its residents, will see below-freezing temperatures.
‘This would be one of the coldest outbreaks certainly of the past 10 years, 15 years,’ said winter weather expert Judah Cohen of Atmospheric Environmental Research. ‘It’s pulling air out of Siberia.
‘And, you know, that’s consistent with these stretches because when the polar vortex stretches, the flow starts in Siberia and ends in the US.’
Even states along the Gulf Coast and the southern border will see temperatures drop 10 to 30 F below average. Only South Florida will be spared from the bitter cold.
Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
All told, more than 300 million Americans will experience below-average temperatures by Monday, FOX reported.
But with the wind chill, some parts of the country could experience feels-like temperatures as low as -50 F by Monday morning.
Cities that are not accustomed to such low temperatures should prepare for the life-threatening impact of this cold, Merwin said.
could sink into the low-to-mid-teens from Monday to Thursday next week.
On Monday morning, Atlanta, Georgia may also experience temperatures in the teens.
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People spending extended periods of time outdoors this weekend should watch for signs of hypothermia, which include shivering, slurred speech, slow and shallow breathing, a weak pulse, clumsiness, confusion and loss of consciousness.
In infants, look out for bright red, cold skin and very low energy.
No one should venture outside with exposed skin, as this severe cold could lead to frostbite in as little as 15 minutes.
Even northern cities are preparing chilly weather.
In New York City, emergency official declared a ‘Code Blue’ on Thursday.
This type of warning is issued when the temperature or wind chill is expected to drop to 32 F overnight.
‘Outreach teams will canvass all five boroughs to connect our most vulnerable New Yorkers to shelters,’ NYC Emergency Management stated in a post on X.
This blast of frigid temperatures will be delivered by the polar vortex, a large area of low pressure and cold air that swirls counterclockwise around the North Pole.
Typically, its swirling keeps it close to the North Pole, but often during winter, the polar vortex will expand further south and cause outbreaks of cold temperatures.
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It doesn’t look like temperatures will warm up any time soon, as meteorologists expect the overall weather pattern to remain favorable for more arctic outbreaks through the end of January.
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