ARLINGTON, Va. − Winter was making its ugly presence felt across most of the nation Sunday as a potent arctic blast fueled some of the coldest temperatures so far this season, and snow and ice threatened to snarl travel plans.
Temperatures dipped below zero in parts of the Upper Midwest, and wind chill temperatures crashed to minus-20 degrees in some areas. The cold was sweeping east into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast just in time for Inauguration Day. Washington, D.C., was expected to be so frigid the ceremony was moved indoors.
In Arlington, a few miles outside Washington, Gabriel Deukmaji enjoys walking his kids to their bus stop in the morning. But he expects he will drive them to school this week.
“There’s not enough hot coffee in the world to make standing at that bus stop feel like a good idea,” Deukmaji, 40, told USA TODAY.
The wide-reaching impact of the extreme cold could include impact local economies, stress power grids with increased heating demands, force some schools to close and endangering health with “real feel” temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees, AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor said.
Snow and ice will stretch from New England to the Gulf of Mexico in the next couple of days. Boston can expect 4 to 8 inches of snow Sunday night and Monday. Philadelphia could see 3 to 7 inches, while could get Washington 1 to 3 inches.
The South won’t be exempt: Charleston, South Carolina, could even see snow; New Orleans was bracing for ice.
“Okay, y’all, it’s time to get ready!” the Weather Service in Charleston said on social media. “Bitterly cold temps & accumulating snow & ice will occur this week. Take advantage of today’s last bit of warmth to get your home, car & self ready for the upcoming winter weather.”
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Developments:
∎ The National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon that light rain and sleet with continue east of Interstate 95 with the “transition to snow in the northern/western suburbs of Washington DC/Baltimore.”
∎ The Weather Service office in New Orleans warned that cold weather there will have the greatest impact Monday through Thursday, but hazardous travel is expected Tuesday and into Wednesday.
∎ Subfreezing temperatures are possible Tuesday as far south as southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the western Florida panhandle, the Weather Service said.
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Several state and local officials have declared emergencies ahead of the heavy snow and cold temperatures. The quick-moving storm was forecast to blanket the lower Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut with 5 to 8 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for Sunday that took effect at 8 a.m. and applies to all 21 counties. Gov. Jeff Landry also issued a state of emergency “in preparation for the winter weather expected to hit Louisiana.”
In anticipation of the heavy snow, transportation officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have implemented highway restrictions for vehicles. At least a half dozen municipalities have issued snow emergencies in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to the Bucks County Courier Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A snow emergency is a declaration by a township manager, police, and public works departments when a winter snow and ice conditions are severe enough to require that vehicles should not be parked on public streets.
Subzero wind chills are forecast to reach the southern Plains on Sunday night, which will last until Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Hazardous cold weather will likely linger along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast U.S. through much of the week.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh warned that “periods of dangerously cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures.”
In Cleveland, the weather service warned that “the long duration of this cold will lead to greater impacts to infrastructure, including increased risk of frozen pipes, dead car batteries and structure fires. There is an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of secondary heat indoors.”
Much of Arlington remains blanketed from a storm that blasted the area two weeks ago. Deukmaji is a home builder and Realtor, so he also understands the economic concerns Taylor mentioned.
The home building business won’t stop, but things like wiring aren’t “exactly easy when you can’t feel your hands,” Deukmaji said. Selling homes in severe temperatures also can be complicated by weather. He recalled a vacant home on the market where a pipe burst and the house “looked like an ice cave with icicles everywhere from the ceiling and a layer of ice on the floor.”
If another 1-3 inches falls as forecast, Deukmaji said he and other neighbors with snowblowers will help dig out their block once again.
“One of the best parts about living in our neighborhood is that we all help one another when there’s a storm like this,” he said.
The core of the cold front will slam across North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday, when the high might not reach 0 degrees. Overnight temperatures were projected to drop as low as 30 degrees below zero, AccuWeather warned.
Minneapolis was among some locations projected to be at or below the 0-degree mark Sunday and part of Monday. That could strain the energy supply as residents trying to keep their homes and businesses warm enough, AccuWeather said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the extreme cold will expand eastward to places such as Philadelphia, where daytime temperatures will only climb into the upper teens. The last time the City of Brotherly Love observed a high temperature in the teens was more than two years ago, AccuWeather said.
People along the East Coast will have to deal with snow in addition to the cold: Snow began Sunday morning across Virginia and into the DelMarVa peninsula. It was expected to progress north along the I-95 corridor throughout the day, then reach southern New England Sunday evening.
“The swath of heaviest snow from this event is expected between the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and Boston,” the weather service said.
This cold snap is coming at the peak of winter, so daily record-low temperatures are the lowest of the year. Don’t be fooled, forecasters warn. Washington will see single digits. Temperatures in New Orleans will dip below freezing, and wind chills will be in the teens.
“Some record-low temperatures will likely be broken,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
To prepare for the cold, the weather service recommends:
∎ Dress in layers including a hat, face mask and gloves if you must go outside.
∎ To prevent water pipes from freezing, wrap or drain or allow them to drip slowly.
∎ Keep pets indoors as much as possible.
∎ Make sure outdoor animals have a warm, dry shelter, food and unfrozen water.
∎ Make frequent checks on older family, friends and neighbors.
∎ Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside.
Contributing: Jo Ciavaglia, Bucks County Courier Times