Bitter cold descended on the central United States on Monday, as a polar vortex affected the Rocky Mountains and northern plains following weekend storms that hit the eastern part of the country with flooding, killing at least 14 people.
The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 51 degrees Celsius (minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of North Dakota and minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 46 degrees Celsius) in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder.
Extreme cold warnings were issued for a swath of 11 U.S. states stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record temperatures and single-digit wind chills by midweek.
Forecasters had predicted that parts of the United States would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Climate forces in the Arctic are pushing cold air toward the United States and Europe that normally stays near the North Pole.
Kentucky and Appalachia hit by floods that leave at least 13 dead. The death toll in flood-hit Kentucky has risen to 12, Gov. Andy Beshear reported Monday night. Two fatal vehicle accidents were related to the severe weather, he added, and at least 1,000 people trapped by floodwaters had to be rescued.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky, and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.
In West Virginia, where one death was confirmed and several people were still missing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for a 13-county region devastated by flooding.
Near the town of Logan, West Virginia, authorities responded Monday night to a spill of acidic water from an abandoned coal mine. The leak of liquid from the mine damaged a road, making it impassable, firefighters said.
In Atlanta, one person was killed when a large tree fell on a home Sunday morning.
Flood warnings were extended Monday for most of Kentucky and parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.
Rocky Mountains, North Central region and Northeast hit by snow storms. In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather warning, a state trooper died Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The officer’s name and additional circumstances of his death were not immediately released.
Ice and snow made travel hazardous across large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon.
Authorities in Colorado reported that eight people have died in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to use caution.
Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains. The danger level was determined to be high in parts of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning Monday for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Two ice climbers were rescued in the White Mountains on Sunday after triggering an avalanche that partially buried one of them, officials said.
Parts of Detroit submerged in water after pipe burst
Parts of a southwest Detroit neighborhood were submerged after a nearly century-old water main burst Monday, flooding streets, sidewalks and yards.
Firefighters used a ladder to help a person who was on the roof of a car in waist-deep water, and an excavator was used to navigate a flooded street and help people out of a home, according to the fire department.
The 54-inch (137-centimeter) diameter transmission pipeline was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Teams were trying to isolate the breakout. It was unclear what caused it, but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing. No injuries have been reported.
Mayor Mike Duggan said people affected by flooding can shelter in their homes if they have power and feel safe. Those who wish to leave can call the emergency number 911 and firefighters will help them out of their homes and take them to temporary shelter.
EXTREME COLD GIVES US A TASTE OF THE ARCTIC
This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record levels in some areas, said meteorologist Jason Anglin of the National Weather Service in Bismarck.
People should cover exposed skin and limit time outdoors to avoid frostbite, which can occur within minutes in such low temperatures, Anglin warned. Neighbors should check on each other and those who are most vulnerable, and monitor heater outlets to make sure they don’t freeze.
Due to frigid conditions and a “lack of adequate heating fuel,” North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong waived hours of service requirements for drivers of commercial vehicles transporting propane and petroleum products. The exemption is for 30 days.
The cold snap in North Dakota is expected to reduce oil production by about 5% — between 50,000 and 80,000 barrels per day — which is fairly typical for such conditions, said Justin Kringstad, director of the state’s Pipeline Authority. It takes about a week once temperatures warm for volumes to recover, he added.
Animals can die within minutes in such cold, observed Julie Schirado, founder of the Bismarck-based Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue animal shelter. The shelter works with other rescue teams and uses special flooring for kennels, heated garages and basements to house the animals, he said.
«We see death frequently, but when cold temperatures hit, then it increases even more. We lose kittens, puppies that are outside in this weather… Freezing can be terrible,» Schirado said. People should bring their pets indoors in extreme cold conditions.
At the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, which closed last weekend because of the cold, creatures such as bison, elk and Rocky Mountain sheep don’t mind the temperatures as they chew food to stay warm and have shelters to enter, said director Terry Lincoln. And staff are still out there, breaking ice for their water, he added.
Lincoln, who lives at the zoo, said he walked to his office Monday morning «and halfway there I got a cold headache, the kind you get when you eat ice cream.» «You know it’s cold when you have a headache from the cold without having eaten ice cream.»
