Winter whiplash, from 60 to subzero
CHICAGO – Snow along the East Coast on Wednesday morning disrupted morning commutes and caused some school delays and closures as subzero temperatures struck the Midwest and Northern Plains.
The winter weather whiplash came on the heels of temperatures that soared as high as 60 degrees Tuesday for some.
The Washington, D.C., region received its first snow of the season, and some schools operated on a two-hour delay.
The snow was expected to taper off over the Northeast by Wednesday evening and resume over New England on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
In the Northern Plains, snow was expected Wednesday evening, moving into the Upper Mississippi Valley/Upper Great Lakes by Thursday morning. The snow was expected to continue over the Upper Great Lakes through Friday morning.
Over the next couple of days, the Northern Plains could see 3 to 6 inches of snow, and the Upper Great Lakes could see 6 to 10 inches, the National Weather Service said.
In the Upper Midwest, an arctic blast was expected to bring temperatures 10 to 25 degrees below average, the National Weather Service said.
Minneapolis-St. Paul dipped below zero Wednesday for the third straight day in December for the first time since 2017, according to Weather.com. The Twin Cities saw wind chills of minus 30 and minus 31 degrees, the National Weather Service said. Officials said the wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in 20 minutes.
In Chicago, where temperatures were expected to reach a low of minus 6 degrees, a salt truck operating along a lakefront trail slid into Lake Michigan, officials said. Video of the incident shows two Park District employees hop out of the truck just before it sinks in the lake.
Freezing rain was possible over parts of the Central/Southern Appalachians overnight Thursday into Friday, the National Weather Service said.
By the weekend, rain is expected along the East Coast.