A climate system already punishing the Midwestern United States with the coldest temperatures of the winter was forecast to spin to the south and west on Wednesday, prompting ice storm warnings and sure hazardous travel conditions.
The cell of arctic high pressure sitting over Canada that has driven temperatures some 20 or 30 degrees below normal within the U.S. Midwest and northern plains will bring even rougher weather as it moves into central and southern states, the National Weather Service stated.
“We have very chilly air across Canada that will continue to funnel down into the central portion of the US for the next several days,” stated meteorologist Lara Pagano of the weather service. “That is actually going to be a prolonged period of well under normal temperatures.”
Wind chill advisories have already been issued for northern U.S. states, together with Montana and North Dakota.
As temperatures drop further south and mix with moist air streaming across the region from the Pacific Ocean, weather advisories and warnings are also anticipated for Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and northern Texas, Pagano stated.
Ice storm warnings will likely be announced for Arkansas, Mississippi, and Kentucky, she stated, with the possibility of power outages.
Icy roads were expected to make driving harmful across much of the region and flights could be delayed or canceled.
“We have that colder high pressure in place so we’re going to start to see moisture meet up with the core high pressure, bringing ice and ice storms that will affect the Mississippi Valley, Ohio, and Tennessee valleys tonight into Friday,” Pagano stated.
Already parts of the upper Midwest have been gripped by extreme chilly weather this week, with parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin seeing below zero temperatures for several days.
International Falls, Minnesota saw temperatures dip to -36 degrees Fahrenheit (-38 degrees Celsius) on Monday, according to AccuWeather.
