BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Another blast of winter weather is expected in parts of the U.S. in the coming days, including bone-chilling wind in the Northern Plains and unusual snow and ice in the Gulf Coast area.
Cold weather forecasted for Monday for Washington, D.C., prompted President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Much of the U.S. from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal temperatures starting Sunday into the coming week, including forecasted wind chills down to minus 40 degrees F (minus 40 degrees C) or colder in the Dakotas and northern Minnesota, National Weather Service Meteorologist Marc Chenard said.
In such cold conditions, frostbite can develop on exposed skin in 10 minutes or less, so people should don coats, hats and gloves and minimize time outdoors, said Connor Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck.
The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the central and eastern U.S. will still be cold with highs in the teens and 20s on Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees F (minus 18 C) and wind chills below zero.
“Cold weather will impact a lot of the country, especially the Rockies and points east,” Chenard said.
Unusual wintry weather of snow, sleet and freezing rain threaten Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas, he said. Impacts are expected to start in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.
“Will be another relatively fast-moving storm but likely to produce some impactful winter weather in areas that don’t see it as often,” Chenard said.
Impacts along the coast might include sleet, freezing rain and ice accumulation on roadways, and primarily snow and maybe sleet away from the coast, he said. The potential for several inches of snow could likely cause travel disruptions for areas not used to snow, he said.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency in advance of the wintry weather. He encouraged Louisianans to be prepared and to monitor the weather forecast.
As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.
Meanwhile, snow will move across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, starting in the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday and spreading toward New York City and into New England later that day, said Chenard. The short burst of heavier snow could bring 2 inches (5 centimeters) to 8 inches (20 centimeters), Chenard said.
The wintry weather is typical for the area and will bring accumulating, plowable snowfall, Chenard said. Motorists could encounter treacherous conditions out East, and some airports could see issues, he said.
The forecast for snow and frigid temperatures prompted Baltimore officials to cancel the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade scheduled for Monday.
Mayor Brandon Scott said on X that it was a “difficult decision” made out of “an abundance of caution for the safety of our participants and spectators.”
The cancellation marks the second year in a row that the parade was halted due to concerns about winter weather.
In Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has directed the state’s severe cold weather protocol to go into effect, beginning 6 p.m. on Sunday, and remaining in place through noon on Friday. That’s when temperatures are expected to remain freezing throughout the daytime hours, while overnight temperatures are anticipated to dip into the single digits and possibly below zero.
When activated, the state’s severe cold weather protocol allows state agencies and municipalities to coordinate with homeless shelters and a 24-hour hotline for community services to ensure anyone in need can receive shelter from the outdoors, including transportation to shelters.
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Walker reported from New York. She can be reached at https://x.com/jwalkreporter
Susan Haigh contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. Gary Robertson contributed from Raleigh, North Carolina.
