Although Americans hope March brings warmer weather, they first have to deal with a brutal arctic air mass that is expected to deliver bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously low wind chills across the U.S.
While it is currently very cold in the northern Rockies, Plains, Midwest and Northeast, temperatures will drop to 20 degrees below zero in some places. Most of the U.S. will be hit by frigid air thanks to the arctic air mass, which could continue into the second week of March in some areas.
A major winter storm will impact much of the country this weekend. The storm will cross California to the Rockies Saturday with heavy low elevation rain and heavy mountain snow. The storm quickly shifts across the eastern states Sunday with heavy snow, heavy rain & severe storms. pic.twitter.com/moOLBm9HYE— NWS (@NWS) March 2, 2019
The cold is due to a “block jet-stream pattern in the Arctic,” The Weather Channel reported. A “high-pressure area” from the Gulf of Alaska will push the cold air southward into the rest of the country. The blast of frigid air first hit the Rockies and Plains before it moved into the Midwest.
The places where it’s expected to be the coldest include Montana, Minnesota and the Dakotas. The National Weather Service in Glasgow, Mont., said people may experience symptoms of frostbite in 10 minutes and wind chills could “dip into the minus-50s by Sunday morning.” Some spots in northern North Dakota and Montana could see temperatures “dip into the minus 30s.”
Meanwhile, in the Upper Midwest, cities including Madison and Minneapolis will experience wind chills below zero on Monday.
Look for a few flurries today, except in the NW snow belts where there could be some light persistent lake-effect snow showers. Tonight into early to middle parts of next week, a bitterly cold, arctic air mass will move over the region bringing with it very cold temperatures! pic.twitter.com/fgK3ix9lPN— NWS Marquette (@NWSMarquette) March 2, 2019
In the southern Plains, temperatures will fall in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Dallas may see temperatures fall to 20 degrees on Monday while Oklahoma City is expected to be in the 20s. The cold air will also affect Florida which is expected to see temperatures drop in the 30s in the northern part of the state.
The Northeast will see cold weather all the way south into the Carolinas and Georgia, which will experience temperatures dipping into the 40s, below normal for this time of year.
Subtropical jet stream cirrus incoming >> weekend #storm coming with heavy #rain, #severe thunderstorms, and a long swath of #snow as an #arctic air mass comes in from the north pic.twitter.com/e46bw9d9ng— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) March 1, 2019
The Pacific Northwest will also see low temperatures for this time of year, 20 degrees below average to be exact.
A major winter #storm will race from the West Coast to East Coast this #weekend and one of the hazards will be heavy snowfall. Here are the probabilities of greater than 4 inches of #snow for the next 2 days. Are you in the path of the storm and #weather #ready? pic.twitter.com/qmbFiEaUBy— NWS (@NWS) March 2, 2019
The National Weather Service urged residents to stay indoors this weekend as the arctic air mass hits the area bringing the “dangerously cold wind chills.” Areas from the West Coast to the East Coast will also experience heavy snowfall in some areas.
