Sunset in a snowy Sidney, Nebraska
The Midwest will continue to experience record cold temperatures thanks to the Arctic mass. For those who take note, low temperature records will likely continue to be broken through at least Friday, the National Weather Service said.
Meanwhile, the NWS predicts heavy snow on Wednesday that will move from the Mid-Mississippi Valley into southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
The agency said that there will be “significant icing” in southeastern North Carolina.
Airports in Midwest, Especially Smaller Ones, Report Record Numbers of Flight Cancellations
The Arctic mass that is causing record and dangerously cold conditions in much of the country is also causing significant numbers of flight cancellations. The effect is more noticeable in smaller airports where there are fewer flights.
While the number of flight cancellations within, into, and out of the United States this past Sunday and Monday averaged over 10,000 and flight cancellations averaged about 1,500, the number of delays dropped on Tuesday and Wednesday to an average of 6,400 delays and 710 additional cancellations.
On Wednesday, Columbia Regional Airport in Boone County, Missouri, reported that 50% of its aircraft movements had been cancelled, for a total of 5, followed by Sidney-Richland Regional Airport near Sidney, Nebraska, where 36% of aircraft movements, for a total of 4, were cancelled. On Tuesday,
On Tuesday, Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri posted a cancellation rate of 46%, for a total of 13 flights, followed by Sidney with the same figures as on Wednesday.
Minnesota Temperatures Are So Cold That Satellites Think the Ground is a Cloud
“How cold is it this morning?” the National Weather Service office in Minneapolis and Saint Paul queried on Tuesday. “Some of the cloud-detecting satellites think nearly all of North & South Dakota, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin are [sic] a cloud.”
For Tuesday and Wednesday, the agency’s forecast for the Twin Cities was chilling.
“Tuesday morning starts off extremely cold with temperatures in the teens and 20s below zero (-23° C and colder to -40° C) and wind chills at 25° to 40° below zero” (-31° C and colder to -40° C)
Many schools have announced closures due to the extreme cold.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
