Buffalo, New York – The presence of winter weather is making its way across the United States as millions of people grapple with the onslaught of a prolonged lake-effect snowstorm that has paralyzed communities downwind of the Great Lakes.
To make matters worse, arctic air will continue to invade the country, dropping temperatures to below freezing in urban areas as far away as the southeast.
An arctic blast from Canada spreads across the east-central United States, with temperatures in northern Plains cities dropping below freezing and wind chills making it feel even colder, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
“The afternoon wasn't too bad,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Ali Salsarari. “So, yes, this is cold air, but if the temperature in the morning is near zero, or the wind is chilly like subzero, the temperature will rise to about 30 degrees, and certainly even in the 20s, the wind It will remain cold, but it could get worse in the afternoon.”
The bitter cold continues in the Midwest, with temperatures in cities like Minneapolis dropping into the single digits early Sunday morning.
As an arctic front moves through the region starting Monday, winds are expected to pick up and it will feel even colder.
The cold air has pushed its way into the Southeast, with many cities seeing their first freeze of the season as the winter cold moves a little further south each day.
“I think the other big topic is how far south some of this air will reach,” Salsarari continued. “This is actually going to intensify the cold air coming in from Canada. It's going to affect a lot of the Northeast, but it's also going to affect quite a bit to the south.”
Cities like Tallahassee, Florida, experienced freezing temperatures Sunday morning.
And the cold weather looks set to continue for at least the next few days as a wave of frigid arctic air moves into the United States.
Much of the eastern half of the United States will see below-average temperatures, with some of the coldest air flowing into the Northeast and New England, according to a six-to-10-day temperature outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
