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A blast of Artic air is expected to send bone-chilling temperatures into the weekend across much of the central and eastern U.S. as parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast face multiple feet of snow during one of the nation’s busiest travel periods.
The core of the Arctic air will be concentrated in the northern Plains and upper Midwest into early next week, with highs in the single digits, teens and 20s, according to AccuWeather. The National Weather Service warned the region, some of which has already begun to experience heavy, lake-effect snow, to brace for “dangerously cold wind chills.”
Over the long holiday weekend, the cold air will push south and east, plunging temperatures to near freezing from central Texas to northern Florida and up to New York. Even for areas familiar with Arctic air, the looming front will drop temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below historical averages for the end of November and early December.
By Saturday morning, about 196 million Americans will be waking up to below-freezing temperatures, according to Weather.com. For the millions in states along the Interstate 95 corridor, “this will be the coldest start to meteorological winter in years,” according to AccuWeather.
Meteorologists issued urgent warnings about dangerously cold winds and temperatures in North Dakota and Alaska on Friday night and Saturday.
In portions of both states, wind chills could reach as low as 30 below zero.
“The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes,” the National Weather Service office in Bismarck, North Dakota, said.
As people head to stores to take advantage of Black Friday deals, officials in Michigan warned residents to drive carefully over icy and snow-covered roads.
Less than an inch of snow is expected in metro Detroit, but that’s enough to make pavement especially slick. The Michigan State Police warned there is “just enough snow to highlight those drivers with the risky driving behaviors,” adding, “hopefully, we can act like we have been there before.”
State police said Friday that westbound lanes in a portion of Interstate 696 was closed to allow the Michigan Department of Transportation “the ability to put salt down on the freeway.”
Shoppers and travelers were being urged by police to increase their following distance in case they lose control of the vehicle and to pack a winter emergency kit. They also were reminded to buckle up, put their phones down, move over and generally just be kind.
