‘Extreme cold’: Winter storm forecast to slam huge expanse of US

AFP/APP

New York: A powerful winter storm bringing extreme cold and heavy snowfall is set to batter a vast stretch of the United States this week, putting more than 175 million people at risk of severe weather, power outages and major travel disruptions.

Winter Storm Fern is forecast to span an area from Texas and the Great Plains to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Forecasters warned the system could stretch nearly 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) — covering well over half the continental United States.

The storm is expected to peak on Thursday and Friday, with Texas already declaring a state of emergency. Officials warned that parts of the mid-Atlantic region could receive more than a foot of snow, with Virginia and Maryland likely to be among the hardest hit as Arctic air moves south.

US weather channels issued dire warnings of “crippling ice” and a 1,500-mile (2,414-kilometer) snow zone that could experience record-breaking snowfall. Freezing rain is also expected to threaten power infrastructure and trees.

New York City could see up to 12 inches of snow, according to The Weather Channel. The city is already enduring its coldest stretch of the winter. On January 20, the National Weather Service recorded a temperature of 16°F (-9°C) in Central Park — or 2°F (-17°C) when accounting for wind chill.

‘Sub-zero’ conditions

“Frigid temperatures will expand across the eastern two-thirds of the country behind an Arctic cold front,” the National Weather Service said in an advisory.

“Sub-zero and single-digit temperatures will spread from the Northern Plains on Thursday into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and the Northeast by Sunday,” it added. Gusty winds could drive wind chills below minus 50°F (minus 46°C) across parts of the Northern Plains.

The advisory said an extremely cold air mass combined with a frontal zone to the south would generate a major winter storm from the central and southern Plains to the East Coast beginning Friday and lasting through the weekend.

Several states are bracing for dangerous conditions. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and activated emergency resources, including the National Guard and transportation department assets, to assist with road safety.

Local media warned that a mix of snow, rain and sleet could make travel nearly impossible in some areas. In Michigan, the Monroe County Road Commission — which serves areas outside Detroit — warned of a shortage of road salt.

“This year we’ve used more than we have the last four Decembers combined,” managing director David Leach told CBS News.

In previous winters, heavy snowfall has left some rural communities in the northeast temporarily cut off as snowplows struggled to keep roads clear.