PORTLAND, Ore. — A dangerous Arctic blast will continue to rage across the US on Monday and last at least until mid-week, prolonging the bitter cold that has brought record low temperatures in parts of the country and threatens to further disrupt daily life, including an NFL playoff game and the first American explosion. -in-the-nation presidential nominating contest in Iowa.
The National Weather Service said the wind chills are expected to push temperatures from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and Iowa by 30 degrees below zero, testing the hardiness of caucusgoers prepared to brave the deep cold on Monday set.
“You can’t sit at home,” former President Donald Trump told supporters on Sunday. “When you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘Honey, I’ve got to make it.’ Even if you vote and then die, it will be worth it.”
Arctic storms left at least four dead and knocked out electricity for tens of thousands in the Northwest, brought snow to the South and deluged the Northeast with blizzards that forced the postponement of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. NFL playoff game. Buffalo Bills, which was held in blood-curdling conditions, Buffalo, New York.
The match was scheduled to be played on Monday after being canceled on Sunday.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing the near-white conditions.
“Conditions at this time in Orchard Park, where the game would have started moments ago,” she wrote early Sunday afternoon. “No visibility and dangerously strong winds.”
The Bills invited diehard fans to help dig out the snow-filled Highmark Stadium, offering $20 an hour for their work.
“We’ve made progress shoveling, but not much at all,” said Logan Eschrich, a storm chaser who was heading to Buffalo and throwing.
It remains to be seen whether the show will go ahead on Monday afternoon. The weather service expects heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Erie to push into New York state, adding to the 1 to 2 feet (30.4 to 60.9 centimeters) of snow already blanketing the region. Snow was falling at a rate of 5 centimeters per hour.
Cold subzero temperatures will grip much of the country, dropping to 50 degrees below zero in Montana and the Dakotas.
“It takes a matter of minutes for frostbite to occur,” the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in a statement Sunday urging people to stay indoors.
Temperatures could drop 25 to 40 degrees below normal in other parts of the country, from the Rockies to the Ohio Valley.
As temperatures plunged in Texas, the state’s power grid operator appealed to residents to voluntarily conserve electricity Monday morning as cold weather caused “record-breaking demand” for energy. A deadly freeze in 2021 left millions in Texas without power, but state officials this week expressed confidence in the reliability of the power grid as the cold front approached.
Freezing rain is expected to pelt parts of the Southern Plains and Southern Appalachians.
Even places like Florida won’t be spared from turbulent weather, with forecasts predicting showers and thunderstorms Monday through Tuesday.
In Oregon, more than 120,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, most of them in the Portland metro area, a day after high winds and a mix of snow and ice toppled trees and power lines.
In a community just south of Portland, about 100 trees fell over the weekend, including one that fell on a house and killed a man. Two other people died of suspected hypothermia and a fourth died in a fire that spread from an open fire stove after a tree fell on a camper.
“Given the extent of the damage and the high number of outages, restoration efforts will continue this week and customers are encouraged to plan accordingly,” Portland General Electric said in a statement. The utility said it was monitoring a second weather pattern that could bring high winds and freezing rain on Tuesday.
Widespread power outages were also reported in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Sunday, affecting tens of thousands of people. In Nebraska, the Omaha Public Power District asked customers to conserve electricity to avoid blackouts.
Airports across the country were affected. More than half of flights to and from Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled. Dozens of flights were also canceled or delayed at Chicago, Denver and Seattle-Tacoma airports.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Nathan Ellgren in Des Moines, Iowa; Philip Marcelo on Long Island, New York; Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire; and Julie Walker and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York City contributed to this story.