Icy Arctic air hit much of the eastern United States this Saturday (30), while snow intensified by the so-called “lake effect” threatens to hamper post-Thanksgiving travel in parts of the Great Lakes region — in North East.
A southward-spreading mass of frigid air will persist through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Temperatures are expected to drop to between -9°C and -3°C across a wide swath of the eastern US, from Minnesota to Texas, as cold air moves across the Great Lakes, an area that is warm. and which will therefore cause the first major episode of lake-effect snow this season.
In this situation, the snowfall intensifies after passing through a lake.
Winter weather warnings were in effect for almost 10 million people this Friday (29), with snow totals expected between 15 and 30 cm.
However, accumulations of 1 to 2 meters are possible this weekend in narrow, concentrated bands.
Freezing temperatures
This weekend’s low temperatures will be more like mid-January in Chicago, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Nashville and Tallahassee.
Nearly 70% of the U.S. population is expected to experience freezing temperatures in the coming days.
Especially cold conditions were expected Saturday morning across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. This can increase the risk of hypothermia and frostbite, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
“Wind chills across much of Dakota and Minnesota will be below -26°C, with parts of North Dakota as cold as -34°C and -40°C,” the agency warned.
The states of Michigan, New York and other parts of the Great Lakes region remain on alert as snow continues to create dangerous conditions and shut down traffic in some areas starting Friday.
Northeast Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania are also bracing for significant impacts from heavy, prolonged snowfall.
“Accumulations will be measured in feet in the most affected areas, with high wind conditions also leading to accumulating snow. It will be difficult or impossible to travel,” the Weather Forecast Center warned.
Heavy snow has already forced authorities to close parts of the main highways in New York and Pennsylvania, including some sections of Interstate 90.
This content was originally published in Snow and freezing Arctic temperatures hit much of the eastern US on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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