Most of US under winter chill as storm expected to hit South, East

Much of the United States will face another round of brutally cold temperatures as storms sweep across the South and East this weekend.

A blast of arctic air will “dominate” the eastern two-thirds of the country, the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center forecasted.

While it won’t be sending temperatures as cold as the previous storm, temperatures could be below zero in parts as south as Missouri and Kansas. Much of the Gulf Coast region will experience below freezing temperatures.

A Hard Freeze Warning has been issued for the eastern parts of Texas, much of the southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and for some counties in Georgia.

Downwind of the Great Lakes, wind chill temperatures could be as low as negative 20 to 30 degrees and trigger lake-effect snow, NWS said in an advisory.

Wind chill advisories have been issued for a huge part of the country, stretching from as far north as Montana, to parts of central Florida. The entire state of Tennessee is under a wind chill advisory as of Saturday morning.

In the East, upslope snow is expected in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. The local weather stations advise residents to use caution if they must travel through the intense snow shower.

“Rapid changes in visibility and potentially slick roads are likely to lead to accidents,” the alert said. “Consider delaying travel until the squall passes your location.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released an outlook for the next several months, after January has brought storms, ice, snow and bitter cold temperatures across much of the country.

According to the outlook, many states currently experiencing heavy winter weather and freezing temperatures could soon be seeing warmer weather. Above average temperatures from February to April are likely headed toward the northern half of the country.