Arctic Blast Sweeps Through US, Canceling Thousands of Flights

Nearly 80% of the US can expect to see below freezing temperatures, and over 140 daily cold records could be broken on Monday and Tuesday between Oregon and Mississippi.

The US is bracing for record-setting temperatures this week—including the Deep South—during a cold pattern that could last until the end of January or longer. Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, for example, could experience temperatures in the negative teens (Fahrenheit) for the first time since the January 2019 cold outbreak, said the Weather Channel.

Temperatures in the low 20s, even teens, will be felt for those living along the northern Gulf Coast from East Texas to North Florida. Teens, and even a few single digit-lows will be felt in the Deep South—a region which typically experiences winter temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperatures could drop below zero as far south as parts of the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and northern Arkansas. Temperatures could also drop below minus 20 (-29 degrees Celsius) as far south as Iowa and Nebraska, and some lows in Montana could see temperatures minus 40 degrees. More than 1 million people across the US state of Washington and Alberta, Canada could also experience temperatures below minus 20.

Aerial view of Germantown, Memphis in Tennessee covered in snow. #Memphis #Tennessee #ArcticBlast #snowstorm #Snow #Germantown pic.twitter.com/0Zi8VvYTVo

— Uday Sripathi (@UdaySripathi) January 15, 2024

Temperatures in the cities of Memphis, Dallas, and Nashville are forecasted to stay at a temperature of below freezing for at least 72 consecutive hours.

By Sunday, nearly 110 million people in the US were under wind chill advisories or warnings. On Monday, Iowa was forecasted to experience its coldest primary elections on Monday, with temperatures below zero with wind chills as cold as minus 30 that could cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin. South Dakota is expected to experience wind chills as cold as minus 45 degrees—a temperature that can cause frostbite in as little as 5 minutes.

When in #Iowa #ArcticBlast pic.twitter.com/cixdJJh6Gu

— Reena Roy (@reenaroy) January 14, 2024

For two days in a row, Texas’ power grid operator, ERCOT, issued an appeal to its customers to conserve power as it expects “tight grid conditions” amid the intense temperatures.

TXANS Update—Jan. 15, 2024: ERCOT has issued a Conservation Appeal for Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 6 – 9 a.m. CT. With the winter storm encompassing the entire state and temperatures forecasted to be colder this evening and into tomorrow morning, ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve… pic.twitter.com/2JBXFhnvkp

— ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) January 15, 2024

In addition to the cold temperatures and wind chills, snow is expected to move across the mid-Atlantic on Monday and across the Northeast late on Monday through Tuesday. About 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected in both of those regions. Some areas in Arkansas and Tennessee saw 6 to 8 inches of snow by Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, icy conditions are expected for the South.

The state of Oregon continues to struggle with the onslaught of winter weather after an intense storm dropped nearly 1 inch of ice in some cities and winds knocked out power to more than 90,000 homes and businesses by Monday afternoon.

Woe!!! Hopefully, your fridge is stocked, gas tank fueled, and phone chargers are handy. Also, take a deep breath, we got this! 💪🏽

Stay with @SpectrumNews1TX and our talented team of meteorologists for continuous weather updates. #txwx #ArcticBlast #Texas #atxwx pic.twitter.com/Yf81vs5Wj6

— Dr. Nicole Cross (@DrNicoleCross) January 14, 2024

By late Tuesday, the South should expect a break in the storm.

Thousands of flights have also been disrupted as the US grapples with the arctic blast. By about 2 PM EST, over 5,000 flights flying in and out of the US were delayed, while over 2,000 more were canceled. By 7:30 PM EST, the total delays within, into, or out of the US grew to over 8,000. Total cancellations within, into, or out of the US also grew to over 3,000, according to FlightAware.

A majority of the disrupted flights occurred at Midwestern and Western airports, as well as some airports in the South. The Denver International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport saw about 25% of their flights delayed. The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas saw 34% of its flights delayed. The Reagan Washington National Airport in DC saw 38% of its flights delayed, and the Washington Dulles International Airport had 29% of its flights delayed.