The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brutal cold is hanging around
Snow, wind, ice, bracingly low temperatures — a large swath of the country is feeling winter’s wrath.
Memphis residents were urged to boil water and New Yorkers have been warned that roads could be covered with dangerous black ice this weekend as brutal cold and inclement weather continue to sweep across parts of the U.S.
Bitterly frigid air spilled into the Midwest from Canada as forecasters warned Saturday that wind chills would make it feel like minus-30 degrees in some areas.
Heavier-than-forecast snow fell in New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., on Friday. Storms have walloped the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South and Northeast with low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms, freezing rain and high winds for the past two weeks.
With a wind chill, it was expected to feel like minus-15 in portions of Kansas on Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. A huge swath of the U.S. was under a wind chill advisory that extended from parts of Montana all the way to Florida to warn residents of bone-chilling cold.
A potential thaw isn’t expected until later this week, when the forecast calls for above-average temperatures across most of the country, the NWS said.
The bracing weekend weather follows a series of storms blamed for at least 55 deaths around the country, many of them involving hypothermia or auto accidents.
Tennessee recorded 19 deaths alone. They included a 25-yearold man who was found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg, about 50 miles south of Nashville, after a space heater overturned and turned off, said Bob Johnson, chief deputy for the Marshall County Sheriff ’s Office.
“There was ice on the walls in there,” Johnson said.
Days of cold broke so many water mains in Memphis that water pressure fell throughout the city. On Friday, Memphis Light, Gas & Water urged all of its more than 400,000 customers to boil water for drinking or teeth-brushing or use bottled supplies. Water systems in about 10 counties had issued boil-water advisories.
It wasn’t clear how long the advisory will be in force. While some 50 ruptures were repaired, utility President Doug McGowen warned of new leaks emerging. Water officials said some customers were without running water entirely, but declined to provide a specific number. Drinking water was distributed at two fire stations Friday.
A significant drop in blood donations, partly linked to the weather, led Chattanooga-based Blood Assurance to recommend that more than 70 hospitals in five states halt elective surgeries until Wednesday to allow inventory to be restocked.
In West Virginia, advisories and warnings were out Saturday because of continued fierce weather. The weather service said some regions of the state could see up to 4 inches of additional snow, with winds gusting to 40 mph and wind chill driving down temperatures to as low as minus 20.
The West Virginia Legislature left after a brief session Friday because not enough lawmakers could get through snow-covered highways to the Capitol to vote on bills.
In Washington, D.C., snow fell softly and the streets around the U.S. Capitol were silent. Schools closed for the second time in a week and the federal government was on a two-hour delay. But President Joe Biden still welcomed mayors from around the country to the White House for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
In Buffalo, lake-enhanced snow finally moved out after burying parts of the city and some suburbs in 5 feet of snow in five days. The Buffalo Bills on Friday renewed a call for snow shovelers, offering $20 an hour for help digging out Highmark Stadium before today’s AFC divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Michigan City, Indiana — on the shores of Lake Michigan, about 60 miles east of Chicago — received 17 inches of lake-effect snow on Friday. The snow later eased as a low pressure system moved away, but the weather service warned that “much colder air wraps in behind it,” and urged drivers to watch out for patches of slick and treacherous black ice.
On the West Coast, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek had declared a statewide emergency Thursday following deadly ice storms. The weather service reported that temperatures Friday finally were above freezing for most areas and ground snow and ice would slowly begin to melt.
But more freezing rain was forecast Saturday in the Columbia River Gorge, about 30 miles east of Portland, and the area was expected to remain near or below freezing through at least tonight. Trees and power lines already coated with ice could topple if they get more, the NWS warned.
“Stay safe out there over the next several days as our region tries to thaw out,” the weather service said. “Chunks of falling ice will remain a hazard as well.”
Thousands have been without power since last weekend in parts of Oregon’s Willamette Valley because of storm damage. Despite work by repair crews, more than 41,000 customers were without electricity in the state early Saturday, according to the website poweroutage.us.