Midwest, eastern U.S. brace for Arctic chill as polar vortex moves in
Cold weather expected as far south as New Orleans
The Midwest and eastern parts of the U.S. on Sunday braced for Arctic temperatures that were expected to arrive during the next few days.
A mix of precipitation on Saturday that included snow, ice and rain affected a swath from the Oklahoma Panhandle — where several centimetres of snow were in the forecast — to southern New England, where up to six mm of ice is possible in the eastern Berkshires.
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Freezing rain and ice factored into numerous accidents in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio and threatened an outdoor hockey game in Toledo.
The weather service reported at least two confirmed tornadoes in Mississippi. Greg Flynn of Mississippi's Emergency Management Agency said homes were damaged in several counties, power lines were downed and there were reports of flooding.
"Thankfully, in all of this, there are no injuries reported anywhere," Flynn said.
Blowing snow in Colorado
Meanwhile, blowing and drifting snow was a problem in the northeast Colorado plains, while a blizzard warning was issued for northern North Dakota and Minnesota. Winds between 40 to 60 km per hour blew snow that fell overnight in the Red River Valley, weather service meteorologist Tom Grafenauer said.
That area will be the first to feel the effects of a strong cold front, he said, with temperatures reaching –28 C and wind chills approaching –45 C by Sunday morning.
By Tuesday, parts of the Midwest and east coast will see temperatures in the minus teens. The chilly weather is even expected to move as far south as New Orleans.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue of the private Weather Bell Analytics has called it "old-timer's type of cold."