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MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) — Memphis residents were urged to boil water New YorkPeople have been warned that roads could be covered with dangerous black ice this weekend as extreme cold and severe weather continues across many parts of the US.
Bitterly cold air spread from Canada into the Midwest on Friday and several states were put under advisories as forecasters warned that wind chills could reach minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) by Sunday morning.
New York City, Baltimore and Washington DC received heavier snowfall than forecast on Friday. The storm has lashed the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South and Northeast over the past two weeks with subzero temperatures, heavy snowfall, ice storms, freezing rain and high winds.
With wind chill, temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius) across large parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri. TennesseeKentucky and Kansas, the National Weather Service predicted.
The weekend weather comes after a series of storms were responsible for at least 55 deaths across the country, many of which involved hypothermia or road accidents.
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Tennessee alone recorded 19 deaths. They include a 25-year-old man who was found dead on the floor of a mobile home in Lewisburg after a space heater turned on and shut off, said Chief Deputy Bob Johnson of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
“There was snow on the walls,” Johnson said.
So many water lines broke in Memphis, Tennessee during a cold winter day that the entire city lost water pressure. On Friday, Memphis Light, Gas and Water urged all of its more than 400,000 residents to boil water or use bottled supplies for drinking or brushing teeth.
It was not clear how long this advisory would remain in effect. While about 50 breaks were repaired, utility president Doug McGowen warned that new leaks were emerging.
A significant decline in blood donations, partly linked to the weather, prompted Blood Assurance to recommend that more than 70 hospitals in five states halt elective surgeries through Wednesday so the organization, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, To be allowed to rebuild the inventory.
In West VirginiaAdvisories and warnings were issued Saturday due to continued severe weather. The weather service said some areas could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of additional snowfall, along with winds as high as 40 mph (64 kph) and wind chill temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees. Can fall as low as (minus 29 degrees Celsius).
The West Virginia Legislature walked away after a brief session on Friday because enough lawmakers could not reach the Capitol across snow-covered highways to vote on bills.
There was light snowfall in Washington DC and there was silence on the streets around the US Capitol. Schools closed for the second time in a week and the federal government was on a two-hour delay. However, President Joe Biden still welcomed mayors from across the country to the White House for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
In Buffalo, New York, the ice that grew from the lake finally broke out after parts of the city and some suburbs were drenched in five feet of snow over five days. The Buffalo Bills on Friday renewed a call for snow removal workers to help dig out Highmark Stadium before Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, offering $20 an hour.
michigan city, Indiana, 17 inches (43 cm) of lake-effect snowfall occurred on Friday. The snow later subsided as the low pressure system moved away but the weather service warned that “very cold air is coming behind it,” and urged drivers to be careful of slick and treacherous black ice patches.
on the West Coast, oregon Governor Tina Kotek declared a statewide emergency after Thursday’s deadly ice storm. The weather service said temperatures were finally above zero in most areas Friday and ground snow and ice will slowly begin to melt.
More freezing rain was predicted Saturday in the Columbia River Gorge and temperatures were expected to remain near or below freezing in the area through at least Sunday night. The National Weather Service warned that trees and power lines already covered with snow could fall if more snow falls.
“Stay safe out there over the next several days as our area continues to thaw,” the weather service said. “There will still be danger from falling ice.”
Thousands of people have been without power in parts of Oregon’s Willamette Valley since last weekend due to storm damage. Despite the work of repair crews, more than 63,000 customers were without power in the state as of Friday night, according to the website poweroutage.us.
The National Weather Service said a melt could occur next week, when temperatures are forecast to remain above average across much of the country.
Associated Press reporters Jonathan Mattis and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Caroline Thompson in Buffalo, New York, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South CarolinaAnd Colleen Long in Washington contributed.
Copyright 2024 The associated Press, All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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