Bitter cold weather spreads across much of the U.S. as Texas and the South brace for rare winter storm

Frigid temperatures engulfed the South Monday ahead of a winter storm expected to spread heavy snow and disruptive ice around a region from Texas to northern Florida that rarely sees such weather, forcing residents to scramble to insulate pipes, check heating systems and obtain emergency supplies. supplies.

In Texas, both Houston airports announced that flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday in anticipation of hazardous conditions from an unusual burst of severe winter weather targeting a wide swath of the South, including much of the North Coast of the Gulf.

Elsewhere, the East Coast grappled with a thick blanket of snow while residents from the northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered in freezing temperatures caused by an arctic air mass that sent temperatures plunging well below below normal Monday with dangerously cold wind chills.

About 40 million people, mostly in the southern United States, faced some type of weather risk, including more than 21 million under a winter storm warning, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. He said about 170 million people from the Rockies to the East were under either an extreme warning or a cold weather advisory.

Lakesha Reed, a catering manager for Lots Eats in New Orleans, planned to leave Tuesday to cook for a Mardi Gras-style event in the nation's capital, but flights were canceled due to extreme cold. The 47-year-old New Orleans native said it was in the 30s early Monday afternoon in her port city, where near-freezing temperatures are rare.

We can barely drive in the rain, she said. Last year we wore shorts to Mardi Gras.

Online tracker FlightAware reported as of Monday afternoon more than 570 cancellations of flights within the United States or entering or leaving the country, as well as more than 5,800 delays.

Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to Florida on Monday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected in the region through Wednesday. Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared Monday evening in at least a dozen New York counties, as heavy lake-effect snow was expected around Lakes Ontario and Erie through Wednesday, as well as extremely cold temperatures.

Snow on the Gulf Coast

Anticipating the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday.

Winter storm warnings were in effect in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm is expected to impact Texas beginning Monday evening, spreading eastward through Wednesday morning, with heavy snow expected along and north of the Interstate 10 corridor, with sleet and rain freezing conditions in southern Texas, southeast Georgia and northern Florida.

Forecasters warned that frigid morning temperatures could threaten sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing in areas unaccustomed to bitter cold.

Across Louisiana, authorities urged residents to stay home and not go sightseeing once the storm hits, warning that any icy roads could make travel dangerous. Warming centers were being prepared as cities worked to get the homeless off the streets. The weather service warned that power outages were possible in areas with significant snow and ice accumulations.

Meanwhile, shoppers filled the supermarkets to stock up on supplies.

Things were really crazy with everyone shopping and trying to stock up on supplies over the last couple of days, and most people were looking for the same things because they wanted to do something that would warm your blood, maybe. be a gumbo, William Jordan said Monday.

Return of the Arctic explosion

Much of the east coast is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures this winter.

Extremely cold temperatures prompted Donald Trump to be sworn in as president Monday from inside the Capitol rotunda, upending months of meticulous planning for a massive outdoor event with crowds sprawling across the National Mall . The last time an inaugural ceremony was held inside was Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Elsewhere, a region from the Rocky Mountains to the Northern Plains will experience colder than normal weather for several days, with temperatures expected to drop to between minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) and minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 48 degrees Celsius). Monday. Subzero wind chills are expected as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

The weather service has issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region as high temperatures in many places are expected to reach only 10 or 10% on Monday and Tuesday. Nighttime wind chills could drop temperatures to minus 20 F (minus 29 C) or lower. Chicago's high on Monday alone was forecast to reach 10 F (minus 12 C), while Monday night's low was targeted at minus 5 degrees F.

As at the beginning of the month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption of the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped around the North Pole.

In Texas, Jonathan LeBron, 39, a plumbing manager at Nicks Plumbing & Air Conditioning in the Houston area, said the company began receiving calls Monday from homeowners about concerns about frozen pipes.

There's a little panic, LeBron said. I think they're pretty aware of what's going on. The last frost was three or four years ago. They want us to go out there and make sure things are isolated accordingly.

The low temperature in Houston on Tuesday will be around 18 F (minus 8 C), according to the National Weather Service, or low enough that water will freeze in the pipes, expand and then cause the pipes to burst.

Santa Ana winds expected to return to Southern California

In Southern California, where fires have killed at least 27 people and burned thousands of homes, strong Santa Ana winds are expected to return Monday with gusts between 70 and 90 mph (about 113 to 145 kph), according to Andrew Rorke, senior forecaster with the weather service in Oxnard, California. But he said a small amount of rain in the weekend forecast was a sign of hope.

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Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York. She can be contacted at https://x.com/jwalkreporter. Dave Collins contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. Bruce Shipkowski contributed from Toms River, New Jersey. Corey Williams contributed from Detroit.

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