Arctic air sends the mercury plunging across U.S.

Published 3:51 pm Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Austin weather update: After extreme cold closed Austin and several other schools Wednesday, another wind chill advisory is in effect through 9 a.m. Thursday. The overnight low will be 11 below and wind chills could reach 30 to 35 below. An early dusting of snow and blustery conditions could make for drifting and poor visibility on area roads on Thursday. A blizzard watch is in effect for several counties to the west, including Freeborn, but not in Mower.  

By the Associated Press

How cold is it across the U.S.? Too cool for school in many parts of the country. And so cold in the Minnesota-St. Paul area that you could get frostbite in less time than it takes to buy car insurance.

At least the Northeast isn’t getting clobbered with snow the way it was this time last year.

A look at the blast of dangerously cold weather that is dropping temperatures into the single digits and sending wind-chill readings below zero, even in the Deep South:

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Watch those fingers and toes!

With wind chills plunging into the minus-30s to the minus-50s across Minnesota on Wednesday, Dr. Ryan Fey of the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis warned that serious frostbite injuries can happen in 10 minutes or less.

Wet gloves, socks or boots speed up the process. So do smoking and medical conditions that cause poor circulation, such as diabetes. And the thinner skin of elderly people and children makes them more vulnerable, he said.

College student Jordan Harrell, 23, wore a stocking cap and pulled his coat up around his neck as he walked to work in downtown Minneapolis.

“I have wool socks on, so that’s nice. And that’s basically how I prepare. And then, you know, just have a tough mentality,” he said. “It’s a Minnesota tough mentality.”

 

You have no class

The arctic chill prompted school closings or delayed openings from Alabama to the Dakotas.

Many school systems decided to wait for temperatures to warm up a little before making children stand outside and wait for their buses. They also hoped to avoid overtaxing school heating systems and allow more time for buses to start running.

Wind-chill readings below zero were forecast in such places as Alabama and in Asheville, North Carolina, along with a wide swath of the Midwest and the Plains.

In the Birmingham, Alabama, area, Jefferson County School Superintendent Craig Pouncey warned that the buses are vulnerable when the mercury falls to 20 or lower.

“Our buses still are pretty dependable about cranking, but sometimes the moisture in the air brakes may freeze, so we’ve got to be conscious of that,” Pouncey told AL.com.

As for warming up your own car, police in Omaha, Nebraska, are warning people not to leave their vehicles running unattended. Police told KMTV that 13 vehicles that had been left running were reported stolen in an eight-hour span Tuesday morning.

 

Hey, it could be worse

Temperatures are expected to drop to zero or below in southern New England and to 7 above in New York City, with wind chills getting into the minus 20s in some places. But little or no snow is forecast for most of the Northeast.

And to think: Around this time last year, parts of the region were digging out from 2 feet of snow accompanied by brutal polar air.

In fact, this season’s snowfall totals are way down from last year, one of the snowiest seasons on record.

Last year, places like Philadelphia, New York and Boston all got around 5 feet from December through February, or about 1½ to 2½ feet above normal. This year, they’ve only seen a few inches of snow since Dec. 1.

Western New York is another story, however. The Buffalo area that got slammed with more than 7 feet of snow in November saw another foot of snow on Tuesday, with more expected Wednesday.

Still, the snow-free cold was no day at the beach.

“It’s uncomfortable. I hate it. I can’t wait for spring,” Rosalie Kahler said with a laugh in Albany, New York, where temperatures were expected to drop to single digits by sunset.