More Harsh Cold Temperatures to Hammer East Coast, Midwest, Southeast US

Florida, Georgia issue Winter Storm Watch
By Jack Phillips
January 2, 2018 Last Updated: January 2, 2018
A man looks at falling snow at Times Square as a cold weather front hits the region, in Manhattan, New York, Dec. 30, 2017. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Despite the cold gripping much of the United States for the past week, putting a damper New Year’s celebrations, there’s more on the way.

More dangerous cold air is slated to slam the U.S. East Coast, Southeast, and Midwest in the next several days.

“Arctic air mass will bring a prolonged period of much below normal temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills to the central and eastern U.S. over the next week,” the National Weather Service said on Twitter.

A “Winter Storm Watch” was issued for “for all of southeast Georgia, the northern Suwannee Valley and along the Interstate 10 corridor to the west of metro Jacksonville after midnight tonight through Wed afternoon,” the National Weather Service also tweeted.

Ice accumulations are also possible over southeast Georgia and portions of northeast Florida, the agency said.

According to Weather Channel forecasters, an East Coast snowstorm is possible Wednesday into Thursday. Ice is also possible as far as southern Florida, according to the forecasters.

It reported:

Yes, you read that right. Winter storm watches have been issued as far south as parts of north Florida, coastal Georgia, and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, including the cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

This is the first winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service office in Jacksonville, Florida, in almost four years, since Winter Storm Leon produced snow and ice over much of the Southeast, leading to travel chaos in cities such as Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama.

Winter weather advisories are also in effect for another narrow strip of south Georgia and north Florida just east of the city of Tallahassee, Florida, and as far south as Apalachee Bay.

“The cold is here to stay and the worst is yet to come,” CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said.

In coastal South Carolina, “it could be snowing on the beach in the next couple of days,” one forecaster added.

New York City also could see the temperature drop to 14 and 10-degree highs on Friday and Saturday, respectively, according to forecasters. The northeastern United States could see further drops. Boston is expected to get below 0.

As of Tuesday, more than 100 million people from Canada to Mexico are under wind chill advisories and warnings.

CBS News reported that at least five deaths, including two in Milwaukee and three in Chicago, are being blamed on the cold weather.

On Tuesday, Fargo, North Dakota, got to -28 degrees Fahrenheit while Tennessee got to -6, CNN noted.

Dubuque, Iowa, hit -31 on the night of Jan. 1, and in Pittsburgh, it felt like -8 degrees, with a feel of -11 in Boston, CBS reported.

The weather service noted that temperatures in Indianapolis early Tuesday tied a record low of -12 degrees for Jan. 2 set in 1887, The Associated Press reported.

The Weather Channel also reported that snow is forecast for the week across the East Coast, “Total snow accumulations of less than 3 inches are expected from parts of eastern Georgia into southeast Virginia. Some locally higher amounts are possible in the Virginia Tidewater and eastern North Carolina. Any light snow accumulations may mask icy stretches on area roads, especially bridges and overpasses. Travel is likely to be dangerous in these areas Wednesday into early Thursday.”

 

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