The coldest day so far this winter will grip much of the eastern-third of the nation today. The bitter cold will begin to ease ahead of the next clipper set to deliver snow to the Midwest and
Northeast this weekend.
Frigid from Maine to Florida
Freeze Warnings for Florida
Past 24 Hours in New York
Next Clipper's Snow Map
Potential Boston Snowstorm
Long-Lasting Western Dry Spell
Jack Boston and the Long-Range Forecast
Breaking Weather: Bitter Cold Grips East
Warmth & Cold Set Records
Raw Video: Accidents Due to Ice Caught on Video
Raw Video: Heavy Snow in Columbus, Ohio
Dangerous Cold Hits Many Towns in Southern New Hampshire Where Power Is Out
ADC news in reporting that numerous power outages are occurring across southern New Hampshire this morning in an area where temperatures are dangerously cold. The communities of Newmarket, Durham,
Farmington, Deerfield and Middleton are out of power on the coldest morning of the winter. Temperatures this morning are ranging from -25 degrees F to -8 degrees F with some outlying areas
potentially near -30 degrees F. Whether the power outages are weather related is unknown at this time, but during a morning, when thermometers are at dangerously cold levels, temperatures even
indoors will drop dramatically. Many people are being affected by the power outages, and temperatures this afternoon will stay in the single digits. This is the same area hit by the ice storm in
December.
Arctic Cold Gripping East & South
The bitter cold that kept high temperatures below zero across the Upper Midwest on Thursday has spread to the Gulf and East Coasts. The eastern-third of the nation today will not experience similar
harsh temperatures as the Upper Midwest, but will endure its coldest day so far this winter.
Temperatures throughout the Midwest and Northeast will be held to the teens and single digits today. Highs will be close to the 20-degree mark in the major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor,
but below zero over the interior of northern New England.
Brisk winds will result in dangerously colder AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures. Exposure to the bitter cold could lead to frostbite. People and pets may develop potentially deadly
hypothermia if a lengthy amount of time is spent outdoors.
The frigid air has also spilled into the Deep South. Temperatures will remain below freezing as far south as Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta today.
Tampa and Orlando will only warm to 59°. Lower 70s are typical mid-January highs for central Florida.
Temperatures tonight will plunge under the freezing mark down to central Florida. A light frost may develop in the rural areas northeast of Fort Myers.
The necessary precautions should be taken to protect tender vegetation from tonight's bitter cold. Residents should also cover or drain water pipes in exposed, unheated areas to prevent them from
rupturing.
Temperatures across the Eastern Seaboard will remain frigid on Saturday. The cold will ease later in the weekend ahead of a new clipper dropping south from Canada. The air behind that system will not
be as harsh as the current arctic air mass.
Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski covers AccuWeather.com's News Information
More Midwest Snow Arrives Later Today
The clipper that will eventually lead to the cold easing across the Eastern Seaboard later in the weekend will drop into the nation later today. The system will return more accumulating snow to the
Midwest and Northeast.
By Sunday, the clipper will spread 3 to 6 inches of snow from International Falls to Detroit and Erie. One to three inches will fall over the surrounding areas, including the cities of Chicago, Fort
Wayne and Cleveland.
The snow will create hazards for motorists by covering roadways. Flight delays are likely in Chicago on Saturday. Problems for airline passengers in Detroit may hold off until the afternoon when the
steadiest snow arrives.
Strong winds in the clipper's wake will not blast over places that receive the heaviest snow. This will prevent motorists from having to deal with the added problem of blowing and drifting snow
behind the storm.
The weekend will end with snow spreading across the Northeast. More significant snow may develop over New England, including Boston, as the clipper taps into moisture from the Atlantic Ocean.
The clipper will eventually team up with a low set to develop off the mid-Atlantic coast. If these two features can emerge prior to reaching Atlantic Canada, eastern New England will receive another
period of substantial snow Sunday night into Monday. Gusty winds would also howl.
As the southern low takes shape along the mid-Atlantic coast, a touch of snow may graze Washington, D.C., Sunday afternoon and night.
The official AccuWeather.com forecast calls for Washington, D.C., to be dry and chilly as President-Elect Barack Obama gets sworn into office on Tuesday.
The potential for another low to develop offshore that day does exist. The low will likely take shape too far off the coast to produce snow in Washington, D.C. This system will be closely monitored
the next several days.
Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski covers AccuWeather.com's News Information
West Remains Storm-Free
While arctic air causes the East to shiver, high pressure will promote more abundant sunshine and mild temperatures across the West through the weekend.
Temperatures will once again soar past typical mid-January highs throughout the Southwest today. The warmth will challenge record highs in parts of California.
Not all of California will experience bright sunshine today. Morning fog will give way to hazy sunshine in the state's central valley. The fog, however, should not prevent Sacramento from approaching
its record high.
More stubborn and widespread low clouds and fog will continue to prevent significant warming in the valleys of the Northwest. Temperatures will be held to the 30s and 40s in Seattle, Pendleton and
Spokane.
Sitting above the thick cloud deck, the mountains of the Northwest will warm more than the lower elevations. Temperatures in Sexton Summit, Ore., with an elevation of 3,842 feet, will rise to the
mid-60s today. The nearby city of Medford, located in a valley, will fail to warm out of the 30s.
The dry conditions continue to benefit the Northwest, where cleanup efforts persist from last week's heavy rain and flooding. California, however, needs rain to avoid potential water shortages in the
future.
There is the potential, but not a certainty, that rain could return to the Southwest around the middle of next week. If a storm approaching the West drops far enough south and taps into subtropical
moisture, the needed rain could be produced.
Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski covers AccuWeather.com's News Information
What Jack's Saying about the Long Range
Residents of the Pacific Northwest have been saying "Turn off the rain and snow!" in the wake of last week's serious flooding, which left many cleaning up water damage. That pattern with a
never-ending train of Pacific storms finally ceased over the weekend with high pressure building over the West and pushing the storm track up into western Canada. The dry weather system will
eventually back off the West Coast, allowing the intrusion of weaker storms, but not until the middle of next week. Therefore, residents of Oregon and Washington are certainly rejoicing over the dry
spell which should last another week or so. The only negative to the high over the West is the gusty Santa Ana winds heating the region and drying Southern California.
Meanwhile, historic cold which resided over Alaska and western Canada for the last several weeks continues to be carried down into the central and eastern United States. The Tuesday morning reading
of 40 below zero in International Falls, Minn., although not foreign to the natives, is nonetheless bone- chilling! The frequent blasts of arctic air, each one preceded by a minor snowfall, will
gradually ease over the Central states and Midwest with a noticeable moderation in temperature for the weekend and perhaps into Monday. In fact, it may get near the freezing mark in Milwaukee and
Chicago! Think the college kids will be getting the frisbees out of the closet? It's not exactly going to become a January thaw, but instead a more typical period of winter weather with snow possible
and cold outbreaks every few days, but none as severe as what is happening right now.
Unfortunately for people in the Northeast, furnaces will continue to work overtime right through the middle of next week as the discharge of one arctic air mass after another shifts in from the
Midwest. Snow is possible, as well, with a continuing active weather pattern, and some snow-lovers that have felt left out this winter may very well reap the benefits. It's looking cold for
Inauguration Day next Tuesday with a good possibility for snow on the ground in the capital! It wouldn't surprise me to see it snow at the time President-Elect Barack Obama is sworn into office. It
all depends on the timing of the systems. Eventually, that thaw is coming for cold-weary Northeasterners, but it appears that it is going to take a few more weeks for that to happen.
By the way, the parched areas of the interior Southeast will get some chances for precipitation, but the current weather pattern really doesn't provide any drought relief as, more often than not,
cool, dry air masses will continue to drop from the north through next week. Floridians got a pretty good soaker on Tuesday, but this may be the last chance for any significant rain for a while.
Sr. Meteorologist Jack Boston is AccuWeather.com's Long Range Weather Expert
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