BISMARCK: Harsh cold descended on the nation’s midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummeled the Eastern US with floods, killing at least 14 people.
The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit (minus 51 Celsius) in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 50 F (minus 46 C) in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder.
Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek.
Meteorologists had predicted that parts of the US would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are pushing chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the US and Europe.
Kentucky, Appalachia battered by flooding with at least 13 dead
The death toll in flood-battered Kentucky rose to 12, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday night. Two fatal vehicle crashes were connected to the severe weather, he said, and at least 1,000 people stranded by floods had to be rescued.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.
In West Virginia, where there was one confirmed fatality with several people still missing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for a 13-county region ravaged by flooding.
Near Logan, West Virginia, authorities responded Monday night to the spill of acidic water from an abandoned coal mine. The mine blowout damaged a road, making it impassable, fire officials said.
In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early Sunday.
Flood warnings were extended Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.
Rockies, Midwest, Northeast hit with snow storms
In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather advisory, a state trooper was killed Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The trooper’s name and further circumstances of the fatality were not immediately released.
Ice and snow made travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon.
Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to be cautious.
Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning Monday for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Two ice climbers were rescued in the White Mountains on Sunday after triggering an avalanche that partially buried one of them, officials said.
Part of Detroit is submerged in water after pipe burst
Parts of a southwest Detroit neighborhood were submerged after a nearly century-old water main burst Monday, flooding streets, sidewalks and yards under several feet of water.
Firefighters used a ladder to help one person from the roof of a car in waist-deep water and a bulldozer was used to navigate a flooded street and help people leave a home, according to the fire department.
The 54-inch (137-centimeter) transmission main was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Crews were attempting to isolate the break. It was not clear what caused it, but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing. No injuries have been reported.
Mayor Mike Duggan says people impacted by the flooding can shelter in place if they have power and feel safe. Those who want to leave can call 911 and fire crews will help them from their homes and take them to a temporary shelter.
Extreme cold gives the US a taste of the Arctic
This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record lows in some areas, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Anglin in Bismarck.
People should cover exposed skin and limit time outside to avoid frostbite, which can happen in minutes in such low temperatures, Anglin said. Neighbors should check on each other and those who are vulnerable and monitor heater vents to make sure they don’t ice up.
Due to the frigid conditions and a “lack of adequate heating fuel,” North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Monday waived hours-of-service requirements for commercial-vehicle drivers hauling propane and petroleum products. The waiver is for 30 days.
The cold snap in North Dakota was expected to reduce oil production by about 5 percent, or about 50,000 to 80,000 barrels a day — pretty typical for such conditions, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. It takes about a week once temperatures warm up for volumes to rebound, he said.
Death can happen in minutes for animals in such cold, said Julie Schirado, a founder of the Bismarck-based Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue animal shelter. The shelter works with other rescues, and uses floor kennels, heated garages and basements to house animals, she said.
“We see death a lot but when the cold temperatures hit, then it’s jumped up some more. We lose kittens, puppies that are out in this weather ... Frostbite can be wicked,” Schirado said. People should bring their pets indoors in extreme cold.
At the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, which closed last weekend due to cold, critters such as bison, elk and bighorn sheep don’t mind the temperatures as they munch food to stay warm and have shelters to enter, Director Terry Lincoln said. And staff are still out, breaking through ice for their water, he said.
Lincoln, who lives at the zoo, said he walked to his office on Monday morning “and I had an ice-cream headache halfway there. You know it’s cold when you have an ice cream headache without eating ice cream.”
