We are in the middle of the winter season and low temperatures, cold fronts and snowfall are present in some parts of the United States, mainly affecting the northeast of the country.
In New York there has already been a presence of snow causing white landscapes while other states, such as Virginia, have already been severely affected, especially due to power outages, derived from storms and the strong winds that are part of them,
The US National Weather Service (NWS) indicated that a mass of arctic air began to hit this area of the country, causing temperatures below zero, thus leaving a wind chill in some places of up to -40°F.
The same NWS indicated that they will be at least 12 states in the Midwest and Northeast of USA those who will experience a cold wave this weekend extreme, which will affect some 15 million inhabitants. Given the situation, the health authorities have asked the population not to expose themselves to the cold without proper protection, as well as to wear several layers of clothing and protect hands and ears.
According to Bill Simpson, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Norton, Massachusetts, these low temperatures are caused by a pocket of cold air descending from Canada. The good news is that this cold snap is expected to be short-lived.
The states that will be affected by the cold snap
Massachusetts will be one of the states that will suffer from the extreme end this weekend. For example, in Boston the maximum temperature is expected to be 12°F, but with a wind chill as low as -8°F.
New York will also record temperatures below zero and with an even lower wind chill. Thermometers may read as low as -15°F.
Elsewhere in New England temperatures below zero could also be recorded and even the wind chill could be from -1°F to -40°F, particularly in parts of western Maine.
The winter storm is also forecast to bring snow by the weekend to Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
Winter weather alerts are now issued for parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa by several centimeters of snow and wind gusts of more than 40 km/h. The snowfall could head south towards Missouri.
While in Tennessee, particularly in Nashville, there could be rain this weekend and neither snowfalls are ruled out in the next few days.
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