Extreme Weather 2019: Arctic Blast Means Icy Cold Temperatures For Chicago, Minneapolis, Other Parts Of US

An arctic blast is predicted to sweep across most of the country, starting on Sunday and lasting for several days. By Tuesday, frigid temperatures as low as the 40s are predicted to reach as far as the northern Gulf Coast, including cities like New Orleans and Houston.

In all, the National Weather Service (NWS) is now predicting daily cold records in roughly 290 areas as a result of this cold front, up from their initial forecasts from Thursday which showed up 170.

“A little taste of January in November,” Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman tweeted.

The arctic cold front is expected to begin plunging south on Sunday, bringing temperatures in the northern plains and Midwest 20-30 degrees below what is expected in mid-November. The front will spread to the Ohio Valley and southern plains by Monday, and to the East Coast and South by Tuesday. Cities like Minneapolis and Chicago could potentially see the coldest Veterans Day on record.

Around that time, the Weather Channel predicts that high temperatures could peak in the single-digits in places as south as the central plains. Sub-zero temperatures will be possible in the northern plains. In the South, parts of Alabama are expected to top out in the 30s on Tuesday, while others may drop as low as the 20s through Tuesday and Wednesday.

While record-breaking cold is on the way for many parts of the country, the NWS is only predicting snowfall for the Cascades, northern Rocky Mountains, and northern plains.