Bitter cold temperatures will increase the risk of freezing in the northern US

Bitter cold temperatures will increase the risk of freezing in the northern US

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Temperatures in the Midwest, Plains and Mountain West will be below 20 to 40 degrees below normal for the next five to seven days. Factor in gusts of 20 to 30 km / h, and there will be life-threatening wind colds up to 50 degrees below zero.

“Wind chills as low as -50 degrees can cause freezing cold on exposed skin within 10 minutes,” said the National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota. “Frostbite and hypothermia are likely if proper precautions are not taken when you are outside.”

More than 25 million people are given advice and warnings by Montana to Michigan.

When there is no wind, bodies radiate heat and create a layer of protective heat from the cold weather. However, if it is windy, the moving air breaks up that insulating layer of heat, which accelerates the heat loss and allows hypothermia to occur more quickly.

The NWS office in Bismarck said: “a long period of life-threatening wind cold is expected”, which will possibly last next weekend.

Stack on the blankets

The coldest air will begin to push through the upper Midwest on Saturday. At least half a dozen states will see temperatures below zero on Saturday morning. Even high temperatures are expected to be 25 to 30 degrees below normal in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and the Dakotas.

From there, the cold air will spread south and east.

“Another intensifying cold front will move through the region Sunday morning,” the National Weather Service in Cleveland said. “Temperatures will be the coldest this weekend so far this weekend until early next week, with below-average temperatures continuing next week.”

It is predicted that more than 43 million people in the adjacent U.S. will see temperatures below zero over the next seven days.

From Sunday to Thursday, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Detroit will see high temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees below normal, keeping them below freezing for almost a full week.

As of this weekend, Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa, will see temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below normal, keeping it mostly below the 20 degree point.

It is not just the Middle East that will experience this deep freeze. Southern states such as Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi will also be 15 to 30 degrees lower than normal on Tuesday and Wednesday.

See how fast speeds will drop where you are

‘It can not be too cold to snow’

“While it may be too hot to snow, it may not be too cold to snow,” according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center website. “Snow can occur even at incredibly low temperatures, as long as there is a source of moisture and a way to lift or cool the air. However, it is true that most heavy snowfalls occur when there is relatively warm air near the soil is – usually -9 degrees C (15 degrees F) or warmer – as warmer air may contain more water vapor. “

Despite the bitter cold, there is also a chance of snow showers for parts of Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, where it is likely to be between 2 and 4 inches until Sunday.

A low-pressure system that will develop off the coast of the Carolinas will move up the East Coast on Sunday. The proximity of the system to the New England coast will determine whether many northeastern cities receive rain or snow.

“The system will intensify as it tracks eastward and has the potential to bring another round of significant snow across the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the northeast,” said Dave Hennen, a CNN meteorologist. “There is currently a lot of uncertainty about where / who will get the most snow and whether the large metro areas in the northeast will be hit.”

CNN’s Haley Brink contributed to this report.

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