The blast of arctic air that is making its way across the country is expected to bring snowfall and frost to the south for the first time so far this year. The major storm that will affect the south is the fourth in two weeks to threaten areas east of the Rockies. Two people lost their lives in Oregon as a result of the storm on Saturday, while 75% of the population is expected to experience freezing temperatures over the next seven days.
Many spots across the southern US awoke to dangerous, sub-zero wind chills, and NWS Wind Chill products in effect for 25 states.
If you're in an impacted area, avoid outside activities if possible, and when outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. pic.twitter.com/OhnUReEJSU
— National Weather Service (@NWS) January 14, 2024
Two fallen trees leave two dead in Oregon
The storms left about 550,000 people without power on Saturday, although on Sunday, incidents were reduced to about 260,000, according to poweroutage.us, most of them in Oregon. Two people were killed due to causes related to bad weather. The first person was killed after a burning tree fell on a van carrying four people. The second was killed when a large tree fell on the second floor of a house.
In Maine, strong winds blew water from the ocean toward the coast, which combined with persistent rain caused flash flooding. Several vehicles got trapped in floodwater were and swept away by the force of the storm. At noon, the water level in Portland reached 14.57 feet, setting a new all-time record. The flooding also forced authorities to rescue 20 people trapped in New Jersey.
Snowiest week in Iowa since 1942
Iowa deserves special mention. This week the state will kick off the primaries in the midst of a snow storm and extreme temperatures. There is concern about voter participation in the caucuses on Monday. This will be the snowiest week since 1942 in Des Moines. The city is expected to get between 6 and 10 inches of snow, in addition to 40 mile per hour winds, causing more than 535 distress calls from motorists and 86 accidents. On Sunday morning there was a wind chill of 45 degrees below zero, enough to cause frostbite in 10 minutes.
The outstanding 𝗦𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 across Iowa have been doing 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 the last few days, including @iowadot.
Road conditions continue to improve with quieter weather and their hard work and dedication.
Still, please use caution if traveling though! #iawx pic.twitter.com/Hub6ztIrUz
— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) January 14, 2024
