A mix of snow, ice and plummeting temperatures worsened road conditions across the central United States on Saturday, with forecasts predicting the scary combo would spread east in the coming days.
“Winter is back,” declared Bob Oravec, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
The polar vortex of ultra-cold air is typically trapped around the North Pole, spinning like a top. However, it sometimes spreads or expands into the United States, Europe, and Asia, where many people develop severe colds. The study found that the rapidly warming Arctic is partly responsible for the increase in polar vortex stretching and drifting.
Widespread snowfall was likely between central Kansas and Indiana through Saturday evening, especially along Interstate 70, with at least 8 inches (20 cm) of snow likely to fall in the area. A portion of the central Kansas highway was closed until Saturday afternoon.
The storm will then move into the Ohio Valley, where significant travel disruptions are expected. It will reach the Mid-Atlantic states Sunday through Monday. Severe freezes are expected even as far south as Florida.
A fire truck, several tractor-trailers and a car overturned west of Salina, Kansas. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said Rigs also jackknifed and ended up in the ditch.
He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the highway asphalt like a skating rink.
“We’re in there now,” Gardner said as he drove to the crash site. “The game is on.”
In Wichita, Kansas, freezing rain caused several crashes Saturday morning, authorities said. Police urged drivers to stay home if possible and watch out for emergency vehicles.
Governor Mike Parson declared a state of emergency in neighboring Missouri. Whiteout conditions could make driving dangerous or impossible and increase the risk of becoming stranded, forecasters warned.
Wichita stores were packed with shoppers stocking up on groceries ahead of the storm, and warming centers opened at churches and libraries.
“Go wherever you are going now. & Stay still. If you must travel, consider packing a bag & “Stay where you’re headed,” the Missouri Department of Transportation urged in a message to X.
Several businesses in the Kansas City area closed, and a school district in suburban Independence announced it may have to cancel classes for one or more days.
The cold temperatures may not have set records, but they were causing problems nonetheless.
It stayed around 10 degrees in Chicago and 0 degrees in Minneapolis, before dropping below 14 degrees in International Falls, Minnesota.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday evening before the storm hit, noting it could impact Virginians’ ability to vote in the state’s special election on Tuesday. In a statement to X, the governor encouraged residents to vote early in Saturday’s special election before winter weather arrives.
In Louisiana, crews on land and sea were racing to find a manatee spotted in Lake Pontchartrain before cold temperatures hit. The manatee was first sighted in the Mandeville area on New Year’s Eve.
Although manatees are common in the area during the summer months, winter sightings are a concern because manatees can begin to experience symptoms of cold stress when temperatures drop below 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius).
“We are doing everything we can to get our hands on this animal,” said Gabriella Harlamert, stranding and rehabilitation coordinator at Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans.
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Read more AP climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.
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Hollingsworth reports from Witte in Mission, Kansas, and Annapolis, Maryland. Andrew DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Arkansas.
