A winter storm system that dumped snow across the Great Lakes region and New England has moved out to sea, but that doesn’t mean the frosty weather went with it.
The East Coast should brace for temperatures to plummet. Even in sunny Miami, it’s predicted to get cold enough to stun the iguanas.
Yet as cold as it is, for many, it feels even colder. Roughly 10 million people, from Montana to Illinois, are under wind chill advisories with the northern Plains and Midwest experiencing temperatures that “feel” between 20 and 40 below zero.
Such wind chills can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Even with the storm departing American shores, the Northeast will get more snow.
Snowfall totals of between 6 and 12 inches were expected from New York to central Maine, the National Weather Service said Saturday. In parts of the Great Lakes region, heavy snow from the lake effect and wind gusts up to 50 mph could result in whiteout conditions.
Several locales were already covered with 10 inches or more of the white stuff in the span of about 48 hours. Included were: Laurium, Michigan (18 inches); Hovland, Minnesota (16.5); Gile, Wisconsin (12); Gray, Maine (11.2); and Jonesville, Vermont (10.5).
Bitterly cold air will settle in areas of the Midwest on Sunday before making its way east Monday and Tuesday. The frigid air will reach from Maine as far south as the Florida Keys, and beginning Monday, temperatures could be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
In Miami, the mercury is forecast to drop to 43 degrees by Wednesday morning, which is cold enough to render the area’s abundant iguanas dormant. Temperatures below 50 degrees can leave iguanas in a stupor.
Though they may appear dead, the iguanas are merely stunned and will snap out of it when temps climb back above 50. They can be aggressive upon waking up, so residents who see one coming around should exercise caution.
The chilly weather will linger over the Southeast through Tuesday and in Florida through Wednesday.
The blizzard conditions impacting the Dakotas and Minnesota are forecast to subside overnight into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter Weather Caused Dangerous Road Conditions
The weather already walloped the upper Midwest, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and treacherous travel conditions to those in its path.
At least 341 crashes were reported between Saturday morning and the afternoon, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, and 302 vehicles either spun out or went off the road. Thirty-five people were injured, the state patrol said, but none seriously.
Authorities in some states urged drivers to stay off the roads. The point was driven home by a terrifying video from western Iowa, where a pickup truck slid off the highway while a state trooper tried to help a delivery driver stuck in snowy grass off Interstate 80.
Shocking video today from a delivery truck on I-80 in Western Iowa. The AMCON Distributing driver, State Trooper, & occupants in the pickup truck were not seriously injured.
If you have to be out driving during inclement weather- slow down and be aware of the road conditions. pic.twitter.com/tXqMAOjCjz
— Iowa State Patrol (@iowastatepatrol) January 18, 2020
The pickup slammed into the delivery truck, narrowly missing the delivery driver, who barely got out of the way, the video showed.
Weather conditions were detrimental to air travel Saturday, but service seemed to be improving Sunday.
While incoming flights at John F. Kennedy International were late by an average of nearly two and a half hours Saturday evening because of snow and ice, there were only about 120 flight cancellations nationwide Sunday, according to Flight Aware.
