Millions of people across the northern Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for a rare winter storm that's expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern US into a deep freeze.
The National Weather Service forecast between 3 and 7 inches (7.5 to 15 centimeters) of snow and sleet for parts of southern Mississippi and southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, heading into Tuesday. In Texas, both Houston airports announced flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday in expectation of hazardous conditions from the severe winter weather taking aim at a huge swath of the South.
Residents from Texas to north Florida were rushing to insulate pipes, check heating systems and stock up on emergency supplies.
Elsewhere, the East Coast endured a thick blanket of snow while people from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered in bitterly cold temperatures from the frigid arctic air mass that sent temperatures plunging well below normal Monday. Dangerously cold wind chills were expected to persist through Tuesday morning.
Around 40 million people, primarily across the southern US from Texas to Florida, were under some type of weather hazard, including more than 21 million under a winter storm warning, said meteorologist Marc Chenard with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. He added about 170 million people from the Rockies to points eastward were under either an extreme warning or a cold weather advisory.
Lakesha Reed, manager of Beaucoup Eats catering in New Orleans, had plans to fly out Tuesday to cook for a Mardi Gras-style event in the nation's capital, but flights were canceled amid extreme cold. The 47-year-old New Orleans native said it was in the 30s early Monday afternoon in her port city, where near-freezing temperatures are rare.
"We can barely drive in the rain," she said. "Last year, we wore shorts for Mardi Gras."
The online tracker FlightAware reported nearly 600 flight cancellations by Monday evening within the US or entering or leaving the country, along with nearly 6,500 delays. More than 1,700 such cancellations also were posted for Tuesday.
Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to Florida on Monday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected around the region into Wednesday. Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared Monday night across at least a dozen counties in New York as heavy lake-effect snow was expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday — with 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) possible — along with extreme cold temperatures.
Snow on the Gulf Coast
Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday.
The storm was expected to impact Texas starting Monday evening, spread eastward through Wednesday morning with heavy snow expected along and to the north of the Interstate 10 corridor with sleet and freezing rain in south Texas and southeast Georgia and northern Florida.
Forecasters warned the sub-freezing morning lows could threaten sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing in areas unaccustomed to bitter cold.
Across Louisiana, officials urged residents to "stay home" and not "go sightseeing" during the storm, warning any road ice could make travel dangerous. Warming centers were being readied as towns sought to get homeless people off the streets. The weather service warned power outages were possible in areas of significant snow and ice accumulation.
Meanwhile, shoppers packed supermarkets, stocking up.
"Things were really nuts with everyone shopping and trying to get supplies in the past couple days, and most people were looking for the same stuff because they want to make something that will warm your blood, maybe a gumbo," William Jordan in New Orleans said Monday.
Return of the Arctic blast
Much of the Eastern Seaboard is enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter.
The cold weather promoted Donald Trump to take the oath as president Monday from inside the Capitol Rotunda, upending months of meticulous planning for a massive outdoor inauguration with crowds sprawling down the National Mall. The last time an inaugural ceremony was held indoors was Ronald Reagan's in 1985.
Elsewhere, an area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal weather over several days. Wind chills between minus 40 degrees (minus 40 C) to minus 55 degrees (minus 48 C) were expected through Tuesday morning across parts of the Northern Plains and as far east as parts of Illinois, with below zero wind chills affecting a broad swath of the country from Southern Plains east.
The weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region. The wind chill in Chicago overnight Monday was expected to be around minus 22 (minus 30 C).
Like earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.
In Texas, Jonathan LeBron, plumbing manager at Nick’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning in the Houston area, said the company began fielding calls Monday from homeowners worried about frozen pipes.
"There is a little bit of panic," LeBron said. "I think they’re pretty aware of what’s going on. The last freeze was three or four years ago. They want us to go out there and make sure things are insulated accordingly."
Houston’s low temperature on Tuesday will be about 18 (minus 8 C), according to the National Weather Service, or low enough for water to freeze in pipes, expand and then cause the pipes to burst. Several inches of snow were also possible.
