ARLINGTON, Va. − Winter was making its ugly presence felt across most of the nation Sunday as a potent arctic blast fueled some of the coldest temperatures so far this season, and snow and ice threatened to snarl travel plans.
Temperatures dipped below zero in parts of the Upper Midwest, and wind chill temperatures crashed to minus-20 degrees in some areas. The cold was sweeping east into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast just in time for Inauguration Day. Washington, D.C., was expected to be so frigid the ceremony was moved indoors.
In Arlington, a few miles outside Washington, Gabriel Deukmaji enjoys walking his kids to their bus stop in the morning. But he expects he will drive them to school this week.
“There’s not enough hot coffee in the world to make standing at that bus stop feel like a good idea,” Deukmaji, 40, told USA TODAY.
The wide-reaching impact of the extreme cold could include impact local economies, stress power grids with increased heating demands, force some schools to close and endangering health with “real feel” temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees, AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor said.
Snow and ice will stretch from New England to the Gulf of Mexico in the next couple of days. Boston can expect 4 to 8 inches of snow Sunday night and Monday. Philadelphia could see 3 to 7 inches, while could get Washington 1 to 3 inches.
The South won’t be exempt: Charleston, South Carolina, could even see snow; New Orleans was bracing for ice.
“Okay, y’all, it’s time to get ready!” the Weather Service in Charleston said on social media. “Bitterly cold temps & accumulating snow & ice will occur this week. Take advantage of today’s last bit of warmth to get your home, car & self ready for the upcoming winter weather.”
Officials declare emergencies due to storm threat
Several state and local officials have declared emergencies ahead of the heavy snow and cold temperatures. The quick-moving storm was forecast to blanket the lower Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut with 5 to 8 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for Sunday that took effect at 8 a.m. and applies to all 21 counties. Gov. Jeff Landry also issued a state of emergency “in preparation for the winter weather expected to hit Louisiana.”
In anticipation of the heavy snow, transportation officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have implemented highway restrictions for vehicles. At least a half dozen municipalities have issued snow emergencies in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to the Bucks County Courier Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A snow emergency is a declaration by a township manager, police, and public works departments when a winter snow and ice conditions are severe enough to require that vehicles should not be parked on public streets.