Arctic blast brings record cold, wind chills and snow falls

After nearly 2-year wait for snow, finally it is falling in the United States. Enough snow fell in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. The cities all recorded at least an inch of snow in 24 hours.

Over the next week, temperatures in about 80% of the US will be below freezing as another round of cold air moves across the nation by late week. Already, several daily low records have been set, notably in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. (Reuters photo)

“These wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in a few minutes and hypothermia shortly thereafter,” the National Weather Service warned. (Reuters photo)

Since January 12, as a result of two consecutive winter storms that pounded the US with hazardous wind, ice, and snow, deaths have been reported in Arkansas, Oregon, Mississippi, Kansas, and Tennessee. In Arkansas, one person died and another was hurt, CNN reported. (Reuters photo)

At least six southern states reported having wintry conditions on their roads on Tuesday morning. An extensive section of the I-10 in southern Louisiana was stopped in both directions on Tuesday morning due to crashes on a sloppy roadway. (Reuters photo)

Due to the extreme cold, school districts in more than six states—including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and West Virginia—announced closings. (Reuters photo)